


Light Amongst The Shadows

by Camila_Winchester



Series: Star Wars AU [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Supernatural
Genre: Canon Typical Violence, Cas with his past, Dean struggles to keep everything from falling apart, Destiel - Freeform, Jedi Dean, M/M, Sam struggles with his powers, Slow Burn, stormtrooper cas
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-22
Updated: 2018-03-11
Packaged: 2018-10-22 14:04:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 23,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10698546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Camila_Winchester/pseuds/Camila_Winchester
Summary: Jedi knight Dean Winchester had a pretty peaceful life at the temple, training his Padawan brother into knighthood. Sure, maybe Sam was a little too strong in the force and lost control sometimes but who didn't, right? Meanwhile, stormtrooper CS-4482 spent his entire life in an imperial cruiser, raised and shaped by the First Order and their motives. When rumors of Stormtrooper squadrons being chosen to complete special missions through the galaxy rise in the cruiser, he is forced to consider what free will means, and how much he's willing to pay for it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A summary so you can keep track of the stormtroopers :) Enjoy!  
> Balthazar- BZ-5699  
> Cas - CS-4482  
> Anna- AN-4477  
> Gabriel- GL-4987  
> Uriel- UR-9666  
> Hannah- HN-3289  
> Ezekiel- ZK-7455  
> Samandriel/ SM-6817

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

                                         

  THE LIGHT AMONG SHADOWS 

   Episode I

 

_After Luke Skywalker and his friends saved the universe_

_from the dark forces of the empire, balance was restored,_

_and peace settled across the galaxy. Taking advantage of this_

_opportunity, Luke decided it was time to restore the Jedi order,_

_and left on a journey to find children who could control the force._

_Fearing a new enemy could resurface from the ashes of the empire,_

_Luke decided to hide the new padawan learners on the long_ _lost planet of Tython,_

 _planet of origin of the jedi. Twenty years passed, and_   _the new jedi order_ _grew strong,_

 _and became recognized and valued_   _t_ _hrough the_ _galaxy,as keepers of the peace._

_While the new Jedi are a force to be reckoned with, they are mostly young,_

_and reckless. Perhaps that is the reason two brothers decided to sneak out_

 _to the woods of the planet they call home, right under master Singer's watch._

_But just as balance seems to settle, darkness starts to spread on the horizon..._

* * *

 

Releasing landing gears.

_Landing gears released._

 

Activating propulsors. 

_Propulsors activated_

 

Set coordinates 

 _Coordinates set._

_Prepare for takeoff._

 

And just like that, the five TIE fighter squad took off into outer space, activating light speed a few seconds later, and disappearing altogether amongst the stars. 

"Dude, that's awesome!" GL-4987 said, slamming his fist against the balcony, and making his helmet to bounce lightly. A few more inches and it would have fallen from the surveillance deck they were in. _Again._ Not that he seemed to mind.

"Yes, it truly is" 

"Can't wait until our squad gets picked for one of the special missions. It's going to be awesome". The other tilted his head slightly.

"Why?" 

"Think about it! Exploring new planets, meeting new people, testing our skills. And most importantly, being far away from _here_ " He practically spit the last word out. The frown on brother’s face disappeared, being replaced by a deep, knowing, sigh.

"I don't understand why you're dying to get out of here, GL-4987. We-"

"Dude. My name is Gabriel. You _know_ that." Gabriel cut him off, sounding only half annoyed, his eyes, still glued to what was happening several feet below them.

"We're stormtroopers. _My skin is my armor. My face is my helmet._ _My name is my number_ _. I am fulfilled, for I am an agent of the Emperor_." The words from their pledge came out of his mouth almost mechanically.

"You're no fun, are you, 4482?"

 

"It's _CS_ -4482" CS-4482 corrected him, the clear annoyance on his voice making the corner of the other's lips perk up. He forced himself not to sigh again, and please Gabriel further.

  Being around his brother when he got like this was tiring, and him being like this wasn’t something rare either. GL-49- _Gabriel_ had always been impulsive, always getting himself in trouble. Once, when they were children, he returned to their dormitory at the academy with a suspension note from commander yellow for replacing all the targets on the shooting range with photos of squad commanders. Gabriel was only 8.

 Of course, as he was too young to remember any of this, and BZ-5699 had been the one to tell him, he knew things most likely didn't happen that way. But even so, Gabriel definitely had a problem with following rules, and he simply couldn’t understand why. Despite the few years of difference, their training had been pretty much the same. Gabriel knew everything he was taught. Knew what they were sworn to do, what their cause was. _Why did he insist on doing the exact opposite?_

"Okay, okay. _CS_ _-_ _4482_ " Gabriel teased, making him wonder why he even mentioned it in the first place.  Even if their squad was chosen for the special missions, with a file of offenses like Gabriel’s, he was sure his brother would never be allowed to go. He thought about telling him just that, but decided against it, once GL-4987 settled back against the balcony. CS-4482 joined him.

The troops down below had almost finished clearing the deck, preparing it for another takeoff. He watched them, as they carried the last few supply boxes back to the storage, before turning his gaze to the thin force field that kept them from outer space, and to the stars beyond. 

"I just think it would be fun." Gabriel said, so low CS-4482 wasn’t sure he was talking to him, or just mumbling to himself. "Getting out of here, seeing the galaxy. No rules, no training, no punishments, nothing, except whatever we want to do. Wouldn't you want that?" Gabriel looked at him. All the snarky joy was gone from his face now. CS-4482 considered the words.

 _Would he_? He couldn't deny part of him understood what his brother meant. He too wanted to see the planets past their round shape and bright colors he could spot from the windows of the ship, whenever they were getting new supplies. To go down to the surface, see the citizens they were trained to protect, and learn how things worked outside of the ship they had spent their whole lives in. Still, he couldn't help but to feel uneasy.

 Despite refusing to talk about it whatsoever, Gabriel remembered their lives before the army. Even if only by a few scattered memories. He however, didn’t. His whole life was spent in service of the empire, and ruled by their rules. He had no idea how to behave, or what to expect from the worlds, past the empire’s protocol for land missions, and that didn’t bother him the slightest. _First Order agents knew everything they needed to, to survive and complete their tasks_. It was enough for him. Besides, even if Gabriel’s memories of their lives on the surface were pleasant, he too had only been a child when they were brought in. How much of it was true? What if that free will Gabriel craved ended up being worse than what they had here?

He opened his mouth to reply, but the siren that indicated the end of the shift went off, pulling them both from their conversation.

"You better hurry, little brother. AN-5577 has quite a temper" Gabriel teased, his usual cheerful face back on, even if there was a bittersweet smile on his lips; The siren had to ring twice more before he could join them downstairs. Or at least, that’s what he thought the smile was about. He would just have to add that to the things he didn’t understand about Gabriel. He knew him well enough to know their conversation wasn’t over, though. Gabriel would, without a doubt, want his answer.

As expected, his brother gave him a meaningful look. He gave him a short nod, and turned around.

  CS-4482 backed away from the balcony, and approached the automatic door that kept their surveillance deck from the main part of the ship. A small monitor was attached to it, on the left side. He placed the palm of his hand on top of it, and white lights surfaced almost instantly. They started moving up and down his palm, scanning it. A green light popped up a few seconds later, and the door slid open. He turned around.

"I'll tell her you said hi" He tried, smiling at his brother's amused look, before the door slid shut once again.

* * *

 

 Every stormtrooper on board was assigned to a squadron, along with other seven stormtroopers, one of them being the leader. The squadrons didn’t do everything together, though the members of a squad were all assigned with similar tasks. The division had a more strategical meaning, as it made it easier to send them in missions, and for the commanders to identify and account for them. They did that through the daily meeting reports.

The squad meetings always happened on the first and second floors of the ship, which also served as their quarters, and as a supply storage level. The surveillance of the landing floor, where he was, happened on the 8th. 

He glanced up, to the small timer on the corner of his mask. He had five minutes to get there and go through the checkpoint. _He had to hurry._

CS-4482 quickly took the corridor to the right, marching through the dark tile floors and countless doors alongside a few other stormtroopers that were making their way to their currently assigned tasks. He subconsciously matched their pace.

"I'm telling you, guys. 5559 was pretty serious when he told me that!" One of them started, sounding really excited.

"Oh please. Like he hasn't lied before" He practically felt her roll her eyes.

"No, this is different. 452 is right." A third Stormtrooper stepped in the conversation. "5559 talked to one of the silver troopers about this. They confirmed that the reason the normal squads like us are being sent out there is..." 

4482 halted when the corridor made a sharp turn to the left, following the path that lead downstairs. The others kept going forward, too focused on the story to pay him any attention.

He had heard that story about a million times, from Gabriel and almost everyone else in their squad. Rumors started being spread all over the cruiser, ever since the mistress started sending squads to explore the Galaxy. 

The corridor he was in ended on a relatively large room, with two other side doors that lead to different corridors. Three elevators stood next to each other in the center of the room, which was also the exact center of the spaceship. They were built like that in every imperial cruiser, so that everyone could have easy access to them, no matter where they were in the destroyer. Next to the elevator on both sides, there were sets of stairs. 

While stormtroopers weren't exactly forbidden to use the elevators, and should do so in case they had a very important task, they were slow, and usually crowded by officers and commanders, who would all demand an explanation from him. Considering he had a little over three minutes left, heading for the stairs was automatic.  

It was no secret to anyone the Mistress was a Sith Lord, and a very skilled one. She was trained from a very young age by Lord Azazel himself, who had in turn been trained by the emperor, long before CS-4482 was even born.

A few years ago, however, Azazel left without any explanation, leaving the troops for the Mistress to rule. 

While Azazel had always been present, walking through the ship and punishing troops as he pleased, he had never seen the Mistress' face. She rarely left her chambers, and when she did, it was done either late at night, or when everyone was on duty.  She only spoke to the troops when strictly necessary, and did it through holograms, always wearing a black hood to cover her face. And of course, surrounded by her squadron of silver stormtroopers.

He didn't know much about them. ML-3927 had once told him the stormtroopers that belonged to the Mistress’ elite squad were handpicked and received special training from the Mistress herself.  The ones that survived through the training were granted silver armors and real names. They followed a stricter, harsher code than the rest of them, with rules no one could name, except for the squad members themselves. They either guarded the Mistress, or wandered around the ship, making sure her rules were being followed.

The silver troopers kept to themselves and their squad partners, and only addressed the regular stormtroopers when necessary. Still, the rumors were that one of them told one of the stormtroopers that the reason they were being sent on these missions was to find Sith temples.

 There was a large chance of that being true. The Order was ruled by the Sith, after all. But the chances of one of the mistress' most trusted telling a regular Stormtrooper the reason behind the top-secret missions, let alone of her sending them to find those temples instead of her elite squad, were awfully small. Which was why he thought this was a waste of time. 

His feet finally reached the first floor with a soft bang. He checked his time. 30 seconds. _AN-5577 was going to_ _kill him._

He glanced up ahead, past the wooden supply boxes spread in piles through the floor, to the massive wall that stretched itself through the hangar, cutting it in half. It was made of Mandalorean minerals, as were the five doors that had been carved on it, which gave them all a light grey tone. His eyes fell tentatively on the door to the far right. If he could just walk inside, he'd be on time. _He couldn’t._ He forced himself to walk towards the checkpoint. 

The amount of stormtrooper checkpoints had been extensively intensified, after two rebels dressed themselves up as stormtroopers, and successfully rescued their leader from the first Death Star, all those years ago; They were large metal structures with scanners that could read past their helmets and into their eyes, to guarantee they were really themselves.  

The troops had to report to them every time they were done with an assignment, and were to move on to a new one. In addition, a timer was added to their helmet’s system. It calculated the distance between one assignment and the other, and gave them a certain amount of time that would be enough to reach the next check point.

The new system was far safer, and it hadn’t failed in over 15 years. If the stormtrooper failed to reach the checkpoint in time, an alarm was activated in the control room, letting everyone know that there was something wrong. If there was nothing wrong, and the stormtrooper just happened to fail reaching the next checkpoint in time, an offense was registered. CS-4482 already had one.

On special, more important places, the checkpoints were also accompanied by a booth, inside of which sat a single silver stormtrooper, or one of the higher ups, if the Elite Squad wasn’t available. The stormtrooper meeting rooms unfortunately were one of those places

 He could see the silver stormtrooper inside the booth, following him with their eyes as he approached it. He silently hoped it was Meg this time. She always let him through. 

"Identification?" He'd know that voice anywhere. _Alastair._    

 "CS-4482" he replied, as casually as he could, as a bright light blinded him for a few seconds, scanning through his helmet to confirm it was indeed him, and register where he was now. 

"You're late. _Again_ " Alastair said, dragging the last word with his accent, as if he was savoring it. CS-4482 kept himself from glancing at the red zeros on his timer. Alastair had yet to let the control room know everything was okay.

"I was working on the 8th floor, sir. It takes time to get down here" CS-4482 justified, respectfully. 

"Are you talking back to me, trooper?"

"No, si-"

"Silence" CS-4482 pursed his lips, but said nothing. Alastair eyed him up and down slowly, intentionally moving his helmet so that CS4482 could see he was doing that.

Alastair was one of the reasons he enjoyed not having to deal with the silver troopers more than he really had to. The trooper hovered his fingers on the button that would deactivate the alarm, but didn’t press it. They both knew if he waited long enough, the alarm would trigger alarms in the entire ship, and send an army after 4482.

"Next time you come in late, I will have to punish you. And that would be, uh, a sin, really, wouldn't it, 4482?" He was petting the button now, daring 4482 to say anything. Waiting for him to break, so he had an excuse to be able to punish him. In fact, two verbal offenses to a superior would send him straight to Alastair's chair. A shiver went down 4482’s spine, but he didn’t break. _Yet._ Alastair smiled.

He pressed the button, which instantly both turned the red timer inside his helmet’s screen back to its white color, deactivating the alarm, and opened the door.

"Have a nice meeting, my _sweet angel_ " 

* * *

 

The door lead to a large white corridor that stretched itself beyond sight, with countless doors on both sides; Each of them lead to a room big enough for a group of 8 stormtroopers to fit comfortably in. 4482 squinted a bit to the brightness, despite his mask's light sensitive visor. 

He stopped sharply when he reached the seventh door to his left, placing his palm on another ID scanner by the door. It turned green and slid right open, revealing a very angry red haired Stormtrooper on the other side.

"Where were you?" She demanded, arms folded across her chest. The orange pauldron hanging from the right shoulder of her armor marked her position as the squad leader. 

"I was on deck watch, ma'am" He explained, apologetically. She perked her eyebrow.

"Helmet off. Now" She ordered, and his hands were on it seconds later, too familiar with the gesture. Their leader always did this whenever she was lecturing one of them. She thought looking them straight in the eye passed on the message better.

"You can’t keep doing this, CS-4482." Without the visual aid, the brightness of the room made AN-4477's red hair look as if it was on fire, which matched the redness of her cheeks, and her wrathful glare perfectly. He forced himself not to squint his eyes.

“I mean it, 4482. It is already your second offense this week. Next time, I won’t be able to keep you from Alastair.” The mention of the silver trooper’s name reminded him of what happened a few minutes earlier, and made his stomach hurl.

"I know. I'm sorry. It won't happen again." he promised, looking straight into her piercing glare to let her know he meant it.  He had no intention of visiting Alastair’s interrogation room.

She sighed deeply, and he wasn't sure if out of anger or tiredness.

"I’ll be more careful. I just need to talk to Meg, so she can adjust my timer." She gave a short nod at that.

“You’ll do it tomorrow, before your first assignment.” He agreed. He also really hated letting her down. AN-4477 was like a sister to him.

“Consider it done, Anna” The corners of her lips perked up at the mention of her name. It had been a while since he called her that. Her features softened, and he smiled back, allowing himself to relax.

"Come on in, then. The meeting is about to start" She moved away from the door, giving him enough room to walk inside. He obliged. 

xx

The room was a lot darker and noisier than the corridor. The door slid shut behind him and Anna, and CS-4482 blinked a few times to adjust his vision. His squad mates were spread on the chairs all around the hologram table, their respective helmets in front of them, as they talked loudly. It seemed they hadn’t even noticed his presence.

"Well look who decided to show up!" BZ-5699 all but screamed from the opposite corner of the room, so he could be heard through the voices. The rest of the room fell silent at his words, and he could feel everyone lay their eyes on him at once.

"It is nice to see you too, BZ" CS-4482 replied on the same tone, holding back a smile at the other's confused expression. He pulled up his usual chair, next to SM-6817, avoiding Gabriel’s empty one.

"4482! I was beginning to think you and your brother would start sharing punishments as well" HN-3289 sneered at him, on a way friendlier tone than was appropriate for that sentence, sending the room into awkwardness.

"Well, we are not" He replied, dismissively, and turning to face Anna. Luckly, HN-3289 got the message and left him alone. He loved her- as a squadron sister, but nothing more.

"Uh oh, someone is in a mood, Uriel" BZ-5699 started again, same sarcastic tone as always, though CS-4482 knew him well enough to know his best friend was actually concerned. 

"Indeed, Balthazar" Uriel highlighted his name, as if very proud of it. He mentally cursed Gabriel for passing on his name ideas to the rest of the squad.

 "Tell us, 4482. What has crawled up your-"

"That's enough. All of you" Anna cut him off sharply, glaring at everyone who seemed to be enjoying the situation in the first place. Her eyes landed on CS-4482 last, to make sure he was okay. He almost wished she hadn't stopped them. 

Usually his brothers picking on him would be awkward and infuriating, but today he appreciated the distraction from Alastair's threats, at least for the time being. He nodded reassuringly at her, and she walked to the front of the room. 

"On your feet, soldiers. And I don't want to hear a word from anyone until this meeting is done, am I clear?" 

"Yes, captain!" They all replied in one voice, and stood up. She nodded in approval. 

"Alright, troopers. If we can get started" Everyone took the cue and sat back down, focusing their eyes on the center of the table, where the hologram would appear.

"I have received your daily reports, and as you can see..." She pressed a small button at the corner of the table, and a chart hologram was projected, showing the numbers of everyone in the squad, followed by a green check mark. CS-4482 pretended not to notice the red "X" on Gabriel's, and the two stars that marked his faults next to his own, which except from ZK-7455’s suspension, were the only faults of the squad.

"Everyone in the room has completed their daily tasks properly, and as such are qualified to participate on our nightly duties" 

"Lucky us" Balthazar whispered under his breath. HN-3289 snorted loudly. 

"Indeed, 5699. As you know, patrols are only given to the best squads aboard the ship" Anna got up, circling the other squad members as she made her way towards them. 

"However, since you and HN-3289 don't want the honors, and are having trouble following gag orders, you are more than welcome to stay here, and polish everyone's blasters" much as 5966 was used to being scolded and didn’t even blink, 3282’s face was fully red now, her eyes fix on the ground as if not knowing what to do with herself. 4482 smiled. He wished Gabriel was here to see this.

As if on cue, the door of the room slid right open, and Gabriel walked in very slowly,seeming painfully aware of his every movement. He was completely pale, and had a grim look on his face. CS-4482 stood up and was about to ask him what was going on, when two clearly loaded blasters pressed against his back made their way inside the room, followed by two silver stormtroopers. CS-4482’s eyes widened.

"Sorry to interrupt your squad meeting, AN-4477" The trooper on the right said, and 4482 recognized Meg's voice. She shoved Gabriel forward roughly, and he stumbled to the floor, only to be caught by his brother just before he could hit his head.

“Oh, I assure you it’s no trouble at all” Anna replied casually, but she looked just as shocked as everyone else at the intrusion. CS-4482’s attention was back on his brother, as he helped him to his feet. Gabriel didn’t seem to be injured, which was a relief.

"What-" 

"It's the mistress" Gabriel answered, all color draining from his face again. He hadn’t seen his brother this terrified in years. Adrenaline hit CS-4482 like a brick wall, and he immediately turned to face the door.

The silver troopers assumed position, and the mistress walked in, wearing a black robe that covered her entire body perfectly. On the height of her neck, it curled back, and shaped itself in the form of a hood, which was carefully placed over her head, covering everything, except for her mouth. She looked the exact same way as she did on every single one of the hologram messages. Two other silver troopers marched in right behind her, their blasters crossed on their chests respectfully, and they assumed position as well, perfectly mirroring the first two. The door slid shut behind them.

It was only then CS-4482 realized he and Gabriel were standing _right_ in front of her, Gabriel still leaning heavily on him. The sight clearly stood out, as every other stormtrooper in the room was in perfect alignment. He regretted breaking formation instantly, as he clearly made Gabriel's situation a lot worse, and now his own. _This would definitely be his third offense_. He looked down, not wanting to make matters even worse, but even then he could feel her staring at them. His stomach dropped.

The mistress turned to Anna. 

"We have been monitoring you and your squadron for some time now, given your excellent records" She gestured to the hologram coming from the board.

He glanced up at Anna for guidance, but she did not meet his eyes, nor did she reply to the mistress. She simply stood there, looking completely pale. The exact same way he clearly had before.

"I also apologize for dragging one of your soldiers from his punishment, but I believe you'd agree he should also be briefed on new orders" She kept talking, ignoring AN-4477’s lack of response. She had only brought Gabriel here to give them a mission. He was not in trouble. They both let out a breath they didn’t know they had been holding.

"Our... new orders, ma'am?" Anna asked, finally managing to get herself under control. She sounded puzzled. The mistress nodded, and a soft smile appeared on her lips.

"You have been chosen to participate in one of our special missions."

 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 _“The force is like an energy field, created by all living things. Special beings can control it, and use it on their favor. As jedi, it is our main source of power…”_ Dean quoted, circling around his brother’s meditating form one more time.

“… _As a padawan learner, you were given the chance to build your own lightsaber, and to be trained by a jedi knight, or a jedi master_.” He did not miss the way Sam flinched at the word “padawan”. As a matter of fact, he could _feel_ the tension coming from his brother in waves.

“Patience, Sammy. Trust your instincts” He said, breaking character for a bit. Immediately, the younger straightened his posture, and took a deep breath. He did not open his eyes.

“Good. Frustration, anxiety, anger, they are all emotions from the dark side, and will get in the way of your actions. You need to let go of all them.” Dean finished another circle, and moved away from Sam, to the edge of the hill they were currently on.

 “Relax. Use the force to feel the environment around you.” Taking after his own words, he took a relaxing breath, and looked down at the forest, that stretched itself beyond sight.

It was a beautiful day in Tython, as the sun melted away the last traces of snow from the long winter. For the first time in months, the forest gained life. He could hear the birds, humming softly from the trees around them, and so many other animals, as they resumed their lives. Dean closed his eyes, allowing all his senses to blend together, until they were nothing more than a blur.

And so, he felt it.

He felt the force emanating from the small creatures on the top of the trees nearby, to the drops of water soaking his robes on the wet grass, that was in turn already full of life under the melting snow. And then he felt his brother, who was now completely relaxed, and focused on doing the same as him. Dean opened his eyes, and let a satisfied smile play over his lips. He turned around.

“Always remember to do this before you act. Like that, you’ll know if there are traps, or if someone is lying to you” Sam nodded.

“Yes”

“Yes, _master_ ”

“Shut up, jerk”

“Bitch” They were both unable to hide their smiles.

Dean enjoyed these training sessions. They couldn’t exactly sneak out into the forest every day, but when they could, it made both Sam and himself forget the worries and duties that came with being part of the Jedi order. And as far as he could tell, Sam enjoyed them too.

He put on a straight face.

“Using the force to sense the world around you is important, but so is knowing how to use your lightsaber. If you can combine both skills, you’ll be almost unstoppable.” Dean reached down to his belt, detaching his own lightsaber.

The green laser shone bright as it was ignited, and the sound reverberated through Dean’s entire body. Sam didn’t react at all, but Dean could feel a tip of anxiety come from him again.

“Do you remember the first Jedi principle, little brother?” He played with his lightsaber a bit, swinging it around, then spinning it with only one hand.

“ _There’s no emotion, there’s only peace_ ” Sam quoted. _It meant Jedi needed to have a clear mind on all situations, especially during battle_.

Dean did not reply. Instead, he stopped swinging his lightsaber, and swiftly held it in front of his body, in a defensive position. He stayed like that for a few minutes.

And then, then he attacked.

Dean darted towards Sam as fast as he could, and jumped when he was about halfway through, using the force to bring himself even higher. Concentrating not to lose balance, he flipped in the air as he flew forward, and brought his lightsaber down, aiming straight for Sam’s head.

The blow would have been fatal, had it not been met by a blue lightsaber before it could reach its goal. Unable to hold the pressure, Dean bounced backwards, landing on his feet just in time to block a strike that would have cost him his arm.

“Getting a little ahead of yourself, aren’t you, Sam?” He ducked to the ground, kicking Sam’s ankle and making him lose his balance for enough time that he could bring his lightsaber down. The weapons clashed again, even harder this time.

“Not really” Sam’s left hand let go of the lightsaber, making it harder for him to hold his brother back. As if on cue, Dean pushed the blades closer to Sam's chest. But not for too long; he stretched his left hand out, right next to his body, and locked his eyes on Dean’s.

The older Winchester tried to jump out of the way, but it was too late; He was pushed off his feet and flew backwards, landing on his ass. He grunted, but pushed himself to his feet seconds later, ready for another strike. Except that didn’t happen.

Knocking him off his feet had given Sam time to move backwards, far from the edge of the hill and closer to the trees they had gone through on the way up. He was currently panting heavily from the effort of moving so fast, but his eyes did not leave Dean.

 Aware his brother had recovered again, he held his lightsaber with both hands, and stretched it out in front of him. Ready for Dean’s next move.

That was one of Sam’s best battle qualities; Always watching and analyzing. Considering his options, instead of getting caught in the heat of the moment. Trying to find something he could use to his advantage. Usually, Dean would usually call the battle off now, and they would head back to the temple to be scolded for running off. This was not one of those days. Not when his brother needed to be ready for the trials.

Dean rushed forward again, using the force to boost his speed. He was on top of Sam in seconds.

Sparks flew as green and blue lightsabers connected with each other, neither of their owners thinking about pulling away.

“Not so fast, Sammy” Dean said, not missing the frown on his brother's face.

Sam’s confusion only increased when Dean pulled back from the clash with a backflip, and let go of his lightsaber, which fell softly on the grass. Taking advantage of that, Dean stretched out both of his arms, and clenched his fists.

 Realization dawned on Sam’s face but it was too late; he turned instinctively, as a rock flew from the woods behind them, and connected with his upper body, knocking the air out of his lungs. He fell to his knees, arms wrapped around his ribs.

“Really, dude?” Dean bent over to pick up his own lightsaber.

“Didn’t I just tell you to feel the environment around you?” His voice was still a little shaky from trying to catch his breath, but his tone was firm.

“If you had done that you would have noticed the, I don’t know, massive forest filled with things you could use behind you.” Dean said, matter-of-factly. Sam needed to pay more attention. But even do, Sam was definitely getting better. If he kept this up, he would be ready to face the trials in no time.

Dean slowly approached his brother, who was still facing the ground, and panting heavily. His long brown hair covered his face, and his padawan braid stood out from it at an awkward angle. Someone else would have thought he was crying, but Dean knew better. He hadn’t injured Sam- he made sure of that when he threw the stone.

“Alright, fun’s over. Let’s go home”

He stretched his hand out. Sam didn’t take it, instead taking a few more shaky breaths. Dean was about to ask him if he was okay, when he looked up, pure hatred on his eyes.

“Wha-“  it was all Dean could get out before Sam jumped to his feet, and punched him in the jaw. The punch was coated by the force, and sent him to the ground on his back.

All he had the time to do was ignite his lightsaber, before Sam’s came crashing down against his neck. Their lightsabers locked on each other, inches from Dean’s right eye. 

“Knock it off, Sam. Now!” He demanded, but he wasn’t entirely sure Sam was listening. Dean could practically taste the darkness coming from his brother, threatening to eat them both alive. Sam drew his sword back, getting ready for another blow. Seeing as he was free, Dean rolled over and jerked backwards, trying to get some distance between them.

“That’s enough, Sam. I mean it!” He scrambled to his feet and held his lightsaber slightly inclined to the left, ready to fight. But Dean’s threats were empty, and they both knew it. Sam struck again, and again, each time more ruthlessly than the last, forcing Dean to move backwards until his feet reached the edge of the hill.

 “Come on, Sammy. You’re better than this. Fight it!”

Sam’s response was to bring his arm up.

Dean rose his accordingly, but it was a moot point- He was not going to hurt his brother to find a way out. The second Sam struck him, he was going to fall over the edge.

Dean closed his eyes, waiting for the final blow.

But it never came. Instead, the sound of a lightsaber being turned off filled the air.

“Dean? Oh my god” Sam’s lightsaber fell to his feet with a soft thud, and he took a step back, looking completely horrified. Dean let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding.

“Are you okay?” He asked, trying to sound neutral. His brother gave him an incredulous look.

“Am _I_ okay? How can you even ask me that?” His tone was harsh, but the anger that had washed over him earlier was gone, replaced by fear and confusion. And that was okay. Dean could deal with that.

“I’m asking it _because_ of what happened” Sam shook his head in disbelief.

He closed the short distance between him and the edge of the hill and looked down, to the sharp rocks at the bottom. 

“I could have killed you” He whispered.

“it’s okay, Sammy. You got back in control”

“And if I hadn’t?” His eyes were full of pain when they met Dean’s. Dean’s chest tightened.

“But you did, okay? You always do! Jesus, Sam” Dean snapped, pushing those thoughts out of his head, because there was just _no way_ in hell Sam would ever do that to him. _Ever_.

But his brother didn't look so sure.

“Look, we should head back to the temple, okay? Here” Dean used the force to pick up Sam’s lightsaber. It was still warm from the battle. He stretched it out, but Sam didn’t move.

“Maybe the council is right” He said, resigned. Dean frowned.

“About?”

“Not making me a knight. It’s too dangerous.”

“Oh come on, Sam. You know that’s not true.” Sam was strong in the force. Stronger than all the Jedi he ever met, and he knew that ever since he held his crying baby brother after they tested his blood’s midichlorian count.

Too much power came with bigger responsibilities, and harsher training. But even with the full support of the Masters, and the intense meditating sessions, Sam couldn’t help it. Sometimes, he snapped.

Dean forced himself not to look away from Sam, to the edge of the hill.

Sam’s lack of control really worried the council, thanks to what happened to Master Skywalker’s father. It was one of the reasons he was still a padawan at the age of 22.

 But it wasn’t as if his brother was evil, and a threat to the order. Sam just needed more training than the other Jedi, which was what Dean offered to do, soon as he was knighted.

“You’re not dangerous, or evil, or anything like that, okay? You just need to learn to control your emotions, and that’s taking some time. Here, take it” He almost poked Sam’s stomach with the lightsaber. He was about to refuse, but the look on Dean’s face made him wrap his fingers around the metal pretty quickly.

“You’re going to be a knight, and you’re gonna help a lot of people, do you understand?” Dean was dead serious. Sam met his eyes.

“Do you really believe that?”

“Damn right. Why do you think we’re doing this?” He gestured around, showing the traces of the training they just did, and would definitely get yelled at for. After a few seconds, Sam nodded.

“Alright”

“Awesome. Now let’s go. We’re already dead for sneaking out for the entire morning, let’s not make it worse by skipping lunch too” Dean smacked his brother lightly in the shoulder, and turned around towards the speeder they “borrowed”. Sam snorted.  

“What if the punishment for sneaking out is not getting lunch?” Dean froze on his tracks.

“Shut up!”

* * *

 

The hill they used to practice on was located on the south side of the forest that covered the entire planet. The Jedi temple, where they lived in, was up north. Even so, the modifications Dean made to the speeder ( _he would deny they were there if you asked_ ) made the ride awfully short.

Tython was the planet of origin of the jedi order, but it had been completely abandoned after the Despot War, long before Master Skywalker was even born. Because of that, the temple had deteriorated a lot by the time he had found it and established his new order. Though Luke and his first apprentices had been able to restore the four command pinnacles, a large part of it was still in ruins.

The ruins were of course off limits, unless you were part of the scavenging team. But that hadn’t stopped Dean from exploring them exhaustively, and so knowing the best hiding places and all the secret passages through them, including the one they were using right now.

“Are you sure this is even going to make a difference?” Sam asked, as they sped down the mountain that surrounded the back of the temple, and took a sharp turn left, towards the ruins.

“Not really. But it beats walking through the front door” Dean turned the handle further so that the speeder would be able to go over a large rock, which it did, but not without letting out a strangled growl.

“What the hell, Dean?”

“It’s the engine. It wasn’t recalibrated properly, there’s too much pressure on it. Don’t worry. We’re almost there.” By “almost there” Dean meant jumping over two other rocks and diving deep on the dark tunnels, and using the force to dodge through endless destroyed walls, and broken statues. By the time they reached the back of the parking area, the speeder was hissing violently, and leaving behind a trail of dark smoke.

 Thankfully, aside from the service droid, there was no one there to see them.

“You have reached your destination, speeder 4785-X. However, extensive damage has been detected all over your vehicle. Would you like to contact one of the technology specialist sentinels to fix the damage?” The “speeder droid” as Dean called it, greeted them.

“Nah, it’s alright bud. I’ll fix it myself. Thank you.” _Probably even as part of my punishment_. He added, mentally. But he wasn’t going to worry about that right now. For now, he needed to eat.

 The droid gave one short nod, and walked away. Dean slowly slid down from the speeder.

“You do know the sentinels will walk in here and find the speeder before you can fix it, right?” Sam said, following him down.

“All the more reason for us to hurry up and eat something” He couldn’t argue with that.

* * *

 

If anyone noticed they had been gone all morning, they didn’t show it. The back entrance led to a desert corridor, which in turn led straight to the main hall. Sam and Dean walked through it and into the cantina without as much as being glanced at twice, which actually washed away most of the adrenaline from their bodies by the time they found an empty table in the still crowded room.

Shortly enough, an LEP servant droid came to collect their orders.

“I’m telling you, Sam. We’re getting better at this” Dean said, excitedly, after the small droid had walked off their table, towards the kitchen.

“Getting better at what?” A female voice asked, and they turned around to find where it had come from. Surely enough, the light blonde hair and her ever-present attitude made them identify her seconds later.

“Hey, Jo. I was just talking about how we’re getting better at sparring.” Dean added, as she reached their table and stood there, arms folded across her chest.

 “Yeah, speaking of which, shouldn’t you be training with your mom?” Sam asked, genuine curiosity on his voice. Ellen Harvelle was one of the Jedi Masters of the temple, and though she cared deeply for all the younglins she trained (Sam and Dean included), and acted like the mother they never had, Ellen was really strict about her training schedules. _Especially_ her daughters’.

His question earned him a sharp slap on his arm.

“Screw you, Winchester. As of today, I’m officially a Jedi Knight Of The Republic” She pushed her hair backwards, revealing a lock that was shorter than the others, and burned at the edges. The place where her padawan braid used to be.

“Well look at that! That’s awesome news, Jo” Dean congratulated her. Jo had always been like a younger sister to him, and he couldn’t help but to feel proud.

“Yeah congrats, Jo. You earned it” Sam added, smiling at her. She smiled back.

“Thanks, guys. Now, if you guys excuse me, I have a mission to attend to, in Hutt space” Her eyes sparkled at her own words. She always wanted this. At least ever since what happened to her dad.

“Be careful. Hutt’s aren’t exactly the forgiving type” Sam warned. And he was right. Dean had no idea how Ellen had agreed to this. Unless…

“Does your mother know?” he asked. The smile disappeared from her face.

“Yeah. Almost killed the entire council when she found out about it, too. But it’s not like she could do anything about it, anyway.”  They all knew as much. Once the supreme council made a decision, it was final.

 Ellen was a member of the council, but without the support of the others… Still, Dean couldn’t imagine how she was feeling. _Especially_ after what happened to Bill. He hoped they didn’t run into her today.

“Well, I still think it’s great.” Sam reassured her.

“Agreed. May the force be with you, Jo” The smile returned to her lips.

“Thanks. You too. I’ll catch up with you guys later” She said, turning around, disappearing just as quickly as she had arrived.

A couple minutes later, the LEP droid returned, balancing Dean’s Wookie Breakfast burger, and Sam’s Twi’leak Salad on its short arms. It was Dean’s eyes’ turn to light up.

“Your food, as requested” The droid said, placing the plates in front of them.

“Thanks, dude. We appreciate it” The droid seemed to have appreciated the acknowledgment, as it started beeping loudly as it walked away.

The meat practically melted on his mouth as he took the first bite. He sighed happily, along with his stomach. The thought of getting caught and doing endless chores didn't seem as painful anymore. Sam poked at his own food distractedly. 

“What? Don’t like what you see? You can order something else. Real food, this time” Dean wiggled his burger around to make a point, and took another bite, chewing happily.

“I’m not really hungry right now” Sam replied, dropping the fork back on the table. He motioned to get up.

"Where are you going?"

“Archives. See if I can finish my Corp chores before we get caught” He didn’t meet his brother’s eyes while saying that. Which, yeah. There was clearly something wrong.

“Is this about Jo being knighted?” Jo was one of the oldest “ _raised in temple_ ” padawans. She and Sam were almost the same age, and with her knighting, the oldest padawan next to him was 17. The thought had occurred to Dean, but after what happened earlier, he didn't think it would be a big deal.

Sam didn’t reply. Instead, he just turned around and left.

“Son of a bitch” Dean cursed, dropping his half-eaten burger back on its plate.

“Sam, wait!” He got to his feet just in time to see Sam disappearing through the door. Dean sighed. He loved the kid, but sometimes he could be a real pain in the ass.

The lunch area was a lot emptier by now, which allowed him to reach the door and walk back into the main corridor in seconds. But Sam was long gone by then.

 The archives were at the western wing of the second floor, as it was part of the Council of First Knowledge. Dean darted through the hallway, occasionally bumping into a few fellow Jedi as he ran, which earned him several annoyed glances, and no sign of Sam. _Dammit._

He picked up his pace, trying to clear his mind so that he could use the force to boost his speed, and reach the stairs. It worked, and he felt the world speed up around him.

He was almost at the steps when he crashed, face first, into something soft, and flew to the floor.

* * *

 

The room was spinning wildly around him, and his head was aching in a way that he hadn’t felt ever since the tauntawn incident, back when he was still a padawan. His stomach, which had already been surprised by the sudden exercise immediately after being filled, protested.

“What the…” He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to calm both the nausea and the spinning room down. The sensation weaved a little after a few seconds, and it was then he noticed the warm liquid sliding down his nose. _Blood. Great._

His hands went to his nose automatically. It didn’t feel broken, though, and aside from his headache, he couldn’t sense any other injuries. But maybe the headache was the reason he couldn’t. He groaned. Once the room came to a full stop, he pushed himself to a sitting position.

 _What the hell had he crashed into, anyway_? Probably one of those damn maintenance droids.

“I’m sorry” Said a strong, and low voice. Dean snapped his head up a little too quickly, wincing at the sharp pain it caused. _Not a droid_.

The man was sitting only a few inches away, on a mess of his own robes, which looked a little too big for him.

He couldn’t be much older than Dean; he had messy ( _Dean guessed their crash had something to do with that_ ) dark brown hair, and some scruff spread itself over his chin and cheeks, which was a bit unusual for jedi their age to have. But that was about all that looked out of place about him. He looked completely calm, as if they hadn’t just bumped on each other.

“I didn’t mean to get in your way” He said, apologetically, staring straight into Dean’s eyes, with piercing blue ones so intense it sent shivers down Dean’s spine. Still, he did not look away.

“It’s alright” Dean managed, eventually. “It was just an accident, right?” The man held the eye contact for a little longer, before finally looking away.

“Yes”

 Silence fell between them again, and they sat there, awkwardness building up by the minute. Not that this guy seemed to notice.

“I better go, then” He began to get up, carefully avoiding to place any pressure on his right arm.

“Wait, your arm. Are you sure you don’t want to go to the medical station? I can show you where it is” The words came out of Dean’s mouth before he could stop himself. _You can what, Winchester?_ He was sitting on the floor with blood pouring from his nose, and probably a small concussion. If anyone needed help, it was _him_. Self-awareness hit him hard, and he could feel his cheeks redden.

“Yes, I’m sure.” The other replied, not a hint of amusement on his voice.

 “Do you… need help?” He offered his left hand out to Dean, and Dean took it. The guy pulled him to his feet, practically by himself. He was a lot stronger than he looked _. It made the situation even more embarrassing._

“Thanks. I, uh… probably should get this checked out” Dean pointed to his bloody nose. The bleeding had stopped by now, at least.

He hadn’t noticed just how close they were standing to each other until then; He could practically feel the other's breath against his face. Dean couldn’t help to notice that he was a little taller than the other, but not by too much. The guy stared at Dean’s nose, frowning as if deep in thought. It made Dean’s cheeks redden again, what pissed him off at himself.

_What was the deal with this guy?_

“It doesn’t look broken. Do you want me to escort you to the medical wing?” His eyes went back up to meet Dean’s, and they were even more penetrating now that they were so close. 

“No no, that’s-it’s okay. I can handle it.” Dean replied, a little too quickly. He was sure the guy could help him, but he was going to try to keep at least a little of his self-respect, thank you very much.

The man nodded respectfully, and stepped back from Dean, until they were standing at a respectful distance. The mysterious guy turned around and begun to walk away then, appearing unharmed.

“Wait! What’s your name?” But the fellow jedi didn’t turn around. It was as if Dean hadn’t said a thing. Then, the voice filled his ears again.

“Castiel”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry this took so long, but the end of the semester at college was kinda harsh. I should be uploading sooner now that it's all good again. Enjoy!

"Destroying a speeder, sneaking out to god knows where... Boy, you're sure getting creative" Bobby's sarcasm was so casual it reminded Dean of when he was just a stupid padawan, running around, trying to keep up with what was needed of him.

He was no longer a padawan, of course, but considering he was being snarked at in front of the entire council, maybe he was still just as stupid.

"I'm sorry, Master. I..."

"Did I say you could talk?" his eyes locked on Dean's, sparking dangerously. The connection between a master and a padawan was special. They could sense things about each other in a way no one else could. That was another thing he had learned from Bobby, and since Bobby had practically raised him, that connection was even stronger.Fortunately, even with a broken nose and a massive headache, he could still get the message.

Dean wanted to look away, but there was nowhere to look. Not when he was standing in the middle of the council's chamber, _alone,_ while all of the masters sat in their respective chairs, in a circle around him. He could practically feel their eyes, judging, studying, or even trying not to smile as Bobby lashed out. _This was going horribly._

"Getting new parts to fix that speeder is going to take weeks. Meanwhile, the sentinels will have to patrol with one less soldier, so each of them is going to have to cover a bigger area than they usually do, which means there's more chance they'll miss something." Dean flinched at the words. He hadn't even considered that. But then, he hadn't considered he was going to break the damn thing either. Still, it was just one speeder. _They would be fine. Right?_

If Bobby sensed his doubt, or the guilt that was starting to build up at the pit of his stomach, he didn't show. Instead, he glanced up, to the rest of the members of the council, as if remembering that they were there in the first place.

 

"Do you have anything to say for yourself, son?" Master Rufus was the first to speak, not bothering to hide the amusement in his voice. It was met by a murderous glare from Bobby.

Dean cleared his throat.

 

"Yes. I'm sorry for sneaking out, and skipping training. I know that's not the Jedi way-"

 

"If you know it's not the way, why did you do it?" Ellen cut in, which caused the entire room look at her. He didn't realize she was there when he was dragged in earlier, seconds after the medical droid finished patching him up, and he couldn't believe it. _  
_

 

Ellen's arms were crossed in front of her chest, in her usual strong willed manner, that screamed " _don't mess with me"_ at all times, even if she was about to complement you for a specially good lightsaber strike. But the posture didn't reflect itself in her eyes. She looked... awkward. As if she rather be anywhere else. He couldn't help but to feel a little sympathetic.

 

"Because..." he stopped himself. He didn't know how much they knew about what happened. He only knew that one of the security cameras of the temple caught him sneaking out with the speeder in the morning, and that that same speeder was currently in pieces in the garage. He had no idea if they knew about Sam, and he'd rather keep it that way. Especially after what happened.

 

"We can all sense your apprehension, Winchester. Just speak up" Ellen rushed, sounding more like herself now.

 

"He's wondering if we know his brother is involved in this" Missouri replied instead, matter of factly. His eyes widened before he could stop himself.

 

"Yes, we know, boy. Caught him the second he wandered inside the archives. We already dealt with him" Which meant no jedi training for him for however long his punishment was, which meant the last he saw of Sam for awhile was him angrily running off. _Awesome._

 

"It wasn't his fault, it's mine. He really wants to become a knight, and I thought more training would be a good idea. I-I mean, isn't knowledge one of the three pillars of the Jedi order?" He looked around, hoping at least one of them would understand his actions.

 

The room fell silent, though. _Nice going, Dean. Make it all worse for you and Sam_. He was about to take it all back, when Bobby sighed.

"Dean, your brother is really strong with the force, more than any of us, and he will make a great Jedi knight. But that power is a lot for him to deal with, and that takes time." He answered, truthfully. Rufus nodded.

"Your brother needs to learn control and discipline. Teaching him to break the rules and to put himself above the order is not only against our ways, but it's also really dangerous. For him, and for us all" Dean's mind wandered back to standing on the edge of the hill this morning, Sam ready to strike him dead. He clenched his jaw.

"So what happens now?"

"You need to rethink your actions, and reflect on the principles of the order. A meditational retreat for one week will do you good." Dean relaxed instantly. 

_Sure, meditating was boring,_ but it was better than growing crops at the farm, which was probably what Sam was doing.

"Fine." He agreed, not giving them time to change their minds. "I'll also fix the speeder. I have some spare parts in my fighter that will do the trick."

"Luke didn't nominate me Grand Master of the order while he is away so that I could let you have fun as punishment, ya idjit." Bobby scolded. Missouri and Rufus both snorted.

Dean looked perplexed.

"Ellen will get the parts, and take them to the hangar. _You_ are going to get your ass to the archives. I'm sure they will appreciate your help.... for the next two weeks." Rufus added. Dean's eyes widened.

"But you just said I was going on a meditational retreat!" Missouri nodded.

"After your two weeks are up, you will go on the retreat. Maybe like that you'll learn not to lie to the council"

"I didn't-"

"But you thought about it. Sam will be under my responsibility in the meantime" She cut him, daring him to speak again. Yet Dean could practically feel the happiness coming from her. Wether it was at him getting punished or at her being able to train Sam, he wasn't sure.

"It's settled then. Any objections?" Bobby asked, looking around. Dean's eyes fell on Ellen expectantly, but she did not meet them. After a few seconds, Bobby gave a short nod.

"Alright then. Council dismissed."  


* * *

 

"So let me see if I got this right. You bump into some random guy by the stairs, and you lose the ability to think straight?" Charlie leaned on her elbows, really interested in what he had to say.

After being escorted to the archives for the rest of the afternoon, (and for the next two weeks), he was really glad she decided to sneak her way to his table.

"It wasn't like that, okay?" He protested, a little too loud, then reflexively look to the sides. No one seemed to mind.

"I just have never seen that guy before, and you know I've been here since I was five"

"So it was love at first sight, then?"

"Oh, come on!" He whined, only half annoyed. Charlie smiled.

Charlie had been in the temple ever since he, Sam and Bobby rescued her from a gang of bounty hunters that entitled themselves "The Leviathan", many years ago. She was like a little sister to him, and _certainly_ acted like it sometimes.

"Okay, okay. Seriously now. So you never saw him before. So what? Han and Chewie bring newbies in almost every week" Dean shook his head.

"No, this was different. He was wearing our clothes and all" he gestured to his robes. _That wasn't a good argument and he knew it._ Charlie perked an eyebrow.

"Look, I heard from Garth that two ships with brand new Jedi arrived yesterday. Maybe your mystery guy, what's his name?"

"Castiel" The word felt weird on his tongue. He never heard that name before, and couldn't do as much as imagine a planet where it could have come from. Even that was a mystery about the guy, and it made Dean even more uneasy.

"Well, maybe " _Castiel_ " was one of these new guys"

"Yeah, maybe" he agreed, still unconvinced. There was something sketchy about that guy, he knew it. He would try to figure out more later.

"Anyways, thanks for putting up with me, Charlie. I gotta get started on his holocron thing before someone comes to check my progress and realizes I didn't do jack" They looked down at the object in his hands.

It had golden engravings he didn't quite know the meaning of, made of metal that projected themselves around the glass cube, that in turn glowed in a neon blue light every few seconds, as if inviting them to explore it's secrets.

"Speaking of which, you never told me what you and Sam did this time" Dean put the holocron back on the table. It stopped glowing instantly.

"How come everyone knows Sam is involved?" She shrugged.

"When is he ever not?"

"Good point"

"You two get in more trouble than Anakin and Ahsoka, and that is saying a lot" Dean gave her a confused look.

"Who is Ahsoka?"

"Anakin's Padawan. Master Kenobi recorded a few holocrons about them before he died, which is something you'd know, if you ever came down here to do anything other than catalogue uncharted holocrons as punishment" Dean rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. I'd rather waste my time training Sam into being a knight." Understanding dawned on Charlie's face.

"Was that why you disappeared earlier today?" He didn't reply. _That was a yes_.

"It can't be much longer now, can it? I mean, with all the experience he has, passing the trials should be easy" Dean sighed.

"Yeah well, It's not that simple"

"Why?"

The way Sam lost control that morning was still fresh on his mind, even if he really wanted to forget about it. No one knew about his breakdowns, except the council. He loved Charlie, but he wasn't really sure he should let her into this. Especially behind his brother's back. It would only make things worse.

"Because he needs more " _control and discipline_ "" he mimicked Rufus. "Meanwhile, Jo was knighted" Charlie winced.

"Ouch. I take that didn't go well?" Dean shook his head.

"He ran off on me. Said he was gonna come here. I followed him, but..." he pointed at the bandages on his nose.

"You ran into Castiel." She completed. "And then Bobby escorted you to the council, and you were sent here, before you had the chance to talk to him"

"Yeah. Now he's stuck god knows where, under Missouri's supervision, until I'm done with this"

"That sucks"

"No kidding." Between this and the retreat, he was pretty sure he wouldn't see much of Sam for the rest of the month. Charlie offered him a sad smile.

"I saw him earlier, when he walked in. He didn't look too upset"

"Really?"

"Yeah. Totally. Said hi and everything. Then sat down by the computers and started working on something." Dean couldn't tell if she meant it, or if she was just trying to please him, but he was grateful for it.

"Your brother is strong, Dean. I'm sure he will be alright" _She was right about that_. Sam was certainly stronger than him, at least when when it came to emotional stuff.

"Hope so" Satisfied with his answer, Charlie started to get up.

"Where are you going?"

"Off to the technology sector. _Someone_ busted a speeder this morning, and now it needs to be reprogrammed. Imagine that." He made a face.

"Sorry about that."

"I know." She smiled at him, and he smiled back, before she turned to leave.

"Oh, and Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"You might really wanna get started on that holocron. Last time I picked that one up, it took me weeks to actually get somewhere"

* * *

 

_"So you're telling me the boys are force sensitive?" A male voice asked. He could barely make out what the person was saying, as it was muffled by the huge wooden door._

_Dad had told him to wait here and play with Sammy, while he talked to the man in the other room. He looked back at Sam. His brother was getting bigger everyday, and it wouldn't be too long before he could walk on his own._

_"Dee! Dee!" He squealed, stretching his arms out so that Dean would pick him up._

_"Just a second, Sammy" Dean hushed him. He really wanted to know what the grown ups were saying. Sam frowned. Dean knew what that meant. He was going to start crying._

_Quickly, Dean put his hand on the pocket of his jacket, and pulled a small spaceship from it. He used to have a lot more of them, back at their house. Before...  
He pushed those thoughts away. He didn't want to think about that, it made him sad._

_Dean stretched his arm on his brother's direction, so that he could take the spaceship. His brother's eyes practically glowed as he took it. He wiggled it around a couple times, before shoving one of the wings on his mouth. Satisfied, Dean got up from the soft carpet, and walked towards the door, being really careful not to make any noise._

_Reaching the door knob took some effort, but his dad had taught him how to do it on his own. He pushed slightly, until there was a small gap, through which he could peek from._

_"...midichlorians on his blood. I have never seen anyone like that, Skywalker" His dad sounded upset. He could only see his back, as he walked further away from the door. The other man stood still. Dean couldn't see his face, as he was wearing a hood over it._

_" I can't take them with me. It's too dangerous. If the Sith that killed Mary finds out before I find him..."_

_"You will be killed, along with your children. Or worse" the man completed. They were silent for a long time after that. His dad breathed out deeply._

_"Then they'll stay. It will be better for them. If Sam and Dean stay with you and get trained, at least they will have a chance" Dean couldn't believe it. His dad was gonna leave them too! His eyes filled with tears._

_"No, you can't!" He pushed the door open entirely, and ran to his father, hugging his leg tightly. He knew dad was gonna be mad at him for listening, but he didn't care. He couldn't let him leave. He couldn't!!! His dad crouched down._

_"Dean..."_

_"You can't leave us, daddy!!! Please!" He was practically bawling now. He couldn't lose him. Not after he had just lost mommy. His dad rubbed his back softly, waiting for him to calm down. He was sure he could hear Sam crying in the other room as well, but that only made him cry louder._

_Things started falling around them in the room, flowing from the shelves, and the floor started shaking violently, as if an earthquake was happening. It only got worse, the more Dean cried._

_But no one else seemed to notice it. John coached him to look up and meet his eyes. His mouth started moving, but no words were coming from it._

_"I can't hear you. Please!" He squeezed his father's leg even tighter, but it was useless; the place started shaking even harder, until the floor cracked underneath his feet and gave in, making him fall into the nothingness..._

_He didn't know know long he stayed like that, dropping deeper into the empty. But it was long enough that he had stopped screaming, and all panic left his body. He he was Aldo no longer a child, but his actual age, and wearing his Jedi uniform. He started noticing things in the darkness around him as well, like the fact he wasn't alone._

_"Who's there?" He asked, his own voice echoing around him_

_"Dean, you need to wake up and find your brother" A female voice echoed back. He hadn't heard it in a very long time._

_He opened his mouth, but she interrupted him._

_"We don't have much time. You need to find him, and escape somewhere far away. Promise me that, Dean. Promise me you'll save him" Save him from what? He wanted to ask, but just like that the voice was gone, and he was back in his bedroom._

* * *

 

Dean scratched his head, tired and confused. It was still dark outside, and the moon was washing his room with a haunting tone. He was covered in sweat, and his throat ached, as if he had been screaming. He swallowed, cringing as the pressure made it worse.

He was grateful Jedi knights had rooms of their own, otherwise he would have a lot of angry lightsabers pointed at his face right now. Demanding an explanation. He wasn't entirely sure he'd be able to comply. _What the hell was that dream?_

It wasn't the first time he dreamt about the day his father left, but it never ended with a Frigging earthquake, let alone him falling into a black hole. _And that voice... his mom's voice._ That hadn't felt like a dream, it felt... _real._

He learned about premonitions, of course. Force sensitive beings could sometimes see the future. Master Missouri was proof they were possible, but he had never been able to trigger one. Much less have one out of the blue like that. _And was that even what happened?_ He wasn't sure. But he knew he had to find Sam. _Now._

Dean sat up, allowing his muscles to stretch for a few seconds and the last traces of sleep to leave his body.

And that was when he heard it.

That siren hadn't rang in over 30 years. But he knew exactly what it meant; _The temple was under attack._

* * *

Dean jumped to his feet, automatically using the force to get his lightsaber on the nightstand. He ran for the door, and cursed himself for sleeping on his underwear.

He turned around, and took the first shirt he could find, and his pajama shorts. Better than nothing.

He tightened his grip on the lightsaber as the door slid open, and he walked straight into the corridor.

* * *

 

The first thing Dean noticed was that he couldn't see anything. The lack of windows in the corridor made sure he was immersed by complete darkness the second the door slid shut behind him. Dean moved forward, running his right hand through the walls, until he found a light switch. He flipped it, but nothing happened. _Dammit._

If the power was down, it meant whoever was breaking into the temple had already reached the generators on the right wing. _That was the best guarded part of the temple._

Ignoring the shiver that went down his spine, Dean fired up his lightsaber, filling the place with a soft blue light. He warily looked around, but there was no one there. He relaxed.

If there had been enough time for the generators be found and destroyed, the battle had to be happening for awhile. He had no idea of why he was only waking up now.

He kept walking, until the darkness of the corridor was replaced by a single flash of brightness, that washed over the stairs that lead to the main floor. He quickly turned off his lightsaber, and slid against the nearest wall. If there was anyone up there, they didn't seem to have noticed him. Or maybe they were just waiting for him to set foot on the stairs before attacking.

He closed his eyes, and felt his heart hammering against his chest. He needed to control himself, if he had any intention of escaping. After a few tries, his heartbeat slowed down, that he was finally able to stretch his senses far enough to be aware of what was happening upstairs.

There was no one there. Or at least, no one near the stairs.

Deciding it was safe, he let go of the wall, and quickly made his way up to the main floor. He pressed his lightsaber instinctively, turning around. He was really alone.

He could hear the battle clearly now. Lightsabers slamming against something, blaster shots, screams, and bombs exploding all mashed together all around him. Whoever was breaking into the temple had taken enough time to prepare themselves. And by the looks of it, it wouldn't be long before they reached him.

Dean alternated between jogging and sneaking through the temple, occasionally looking around, to make sure he hadn't been spotted.

The padawan dorms were on the second floor, right between the Jedi council and the archives. Padawan learners were instructed to stay there, until a better trained jedi could come pick them up. But with an invasion this big happening, he was sure Sam would not be there.

 _Hell, even if it wasn't that big_. The kid had the habit of wanting to protect others more than keeping himself safe. He just hoped he wasn't into too deep of a mess before Dean could reach him.

He quickly slid inside the room where he had ran into Cas earlier, aiming for the stairs, but forced himself to stop dead on his tracks.

The place was crowded with soldiers wearing white armors and helmets. There were at least ten of them, all armed with blasters. They walked in groups of two, and the first ones had a red shoulder pad attached to their left arms, indicating they were the leaders. After all those years of hearing the stories, he recognized them instantly; Stormtroopers. Their boots thundered against the floor as they boldly marched inside the room, ready to destroy anything or anyone that came in their path.

Which right now happened to be Dean.

" _Over there_!" One of them howled, his metallic voice muffled by the helmet. The others turned to him at once, and loaded their blasters. It was all he could do to flip his lightsaber into an attack position.

They fired and he jumped, just in time to see the carpet where he was standing on turn into nothing but a chunk of grey ashes.

Dean landed in front of them, kicking one down to unconsciousness as he did. He struck with his lightsaber, cutting the blasters of two others in half.

"What the..." it was clear they had never fought a Jedi before this, and Dean was going to use it to his advantage.

A third one fired, and he used his lightsaber to dodge it, causing the shot to hit another one in the chest. He used the force to grab that one's blaster, and throw it over to the second floor.

"Be careful! He-" a punch to the jaw silenced the stormtrooper, but not before the five remaining ones started firing.

Dean bent his knees and rose his lightsaber in front of him, flipping it on his fingers on a skillful manner. The stormtroopers took the bait, and started shooting at the glowing circle, which helped him to intercept most of the shots. He even returned a couple of them.

He kept that up for a while, trying to return as many shots as he could. It was all working out wonderfully, as only three stormtroopers were still on their feet. The fight would be over soon.

At least, that's what he thought, until one of the shots caught on his left leg.

He screamed, as his knee jerked involuntarily beneath him. Taking the opportunity, the remaining three stormtroopers fired at him again. He dropped to the ground, managing to avoid all the shots, one of them missing his forehead by an inch.

"Better luck next time" he teased, but groaned again, when his leg cramped.

"You're dead" One of the soldiers replied, simply, locking his aim on Dean's chest.

But Dean was ready. He mustered all concentration he still could, and pushed his arms forward, throwing the man against the nearest wall. It worked, and his head connected on one of the pillars by the door, knocking him out.

The world blurred around the corner of Dean's eyes, as he blindly pushed himself backwards, leaving a trail of fresh blood on the carpet until his back collided with the side of the staircase.

The remaining two stormtroopers exchanged glances for a few seconds, and started marching towards him.

"Not so brave anymore, are we?" The one standing to the left crouched down, so he could be on eye level with Dean. _He cursed himself for not keeping his mouth shut._

The other laughed, as if enjoying the situation.

Dean shakily pressed his lightsaber, forcing the man to jump backwards, not to be impaled by it.

"Don't be so sure" He didn't need to see the face behind the helmet to feel the hatred on their eyes. The stormtrooper pushed himself up and picked up their blaster, locking it between Dean's eyes. The other soldier aimed for his chest. _That was it. That was how it all ended._ He just hoped Sammy would be able to escape. Wherever he was.

"Goodbye, Jedi" Their fingers tightened on the trigger.

Dean closed his eyes.

 

But the shots never came. Instead, both men screamed in agony, as they were impaled through their sides by a double edged lightsaber. The corner of Dean's lips perked up.

"Charlie" she switched her lightsaber off, making both bodies drop unceremoniously to the ground.

"Oh my god, Dean. Are you hurt?" She ran to him, falling to her knees by his side to access his injuries. Her eyes fell on his leg.

The gash left by the blaster was only a small circle, as the shot went straight inside his leg. But the skin around the area was completely red and swollen, and dark blood was dripping from the hole. Her face paled.

"That bad, huh?" He teased, but wasn't actually able to hide the worry in his voice. The words seemed to return some color to her face. She shrugged.

"Not really. Last time this happened to me, I had to sew my wound with Zigerrian tooth floss, and I only passed out twice, but hey, at least it smelled fresh. And yours isn't even that bad, it's-" Dean placed his trembling hand on top of hers.

"It's okay. You can do this" She stared at him with wide, panicked eyes for a few seconds, and then her face softened. She nodded.

Charlie grabbed the edge of the sleeve of her long sleeved shirt with one hand, amd used the other hand to rip it off, leaving her shoulder exposed.

She met his eyes sympathetically.

"This is gonna hurt" He smiled reassuringly at her, and clenched his jaw soon as her hands brushed over to his leg.

Charlie pulled it up as gently as she could, so that the sleeve could go underneath it. She put it back down just as softly, and proceeded to tie both edges together tightly, right above the wound.

"Are you okay?" She asked, terrified she had hurt him. Dean blinked away a couple of tears.

"Yeah. 'M fine" she helped him to his feet, and leaned against the wall, so that he could put all of his weight on her. Once he felt like his legs wouldn't give in underneath him, he stood upright

"Who are those people?" Charlie asked, tightening the grip on his arm when he took a tentative step forward, towards the stairs.

"Stormtroopers"  
  
" _Stormtroopers_? But I thought the empire was over"

"So did I." He pushed forward, towards the staircase, placing his wounded leg on the first step. It was everything he could do not to fall back against Charlie, but he couldn't stop now.They were far too exposed here.

Charlie tightened her grip on him, and he put his good leg on the step as well. They went over like that, Charlie practically carrying him up the stairs, until they reached the top.

They managed to walk a bit further, and turn into a desert corridor, before Dean had to stop to take control over his stomach.

"How bad is it outside?" He managed, once he was sure he could speak without his burger paying him a visit. A grim look settled on her face.

"They have tanks. And explosives. And there's just so many of them. I don't think..." She stopped. He knew what she meant; _there was no way they could win._

"Then we need to find a way out" he said, simply. She smiled, but it did not reach her eyes.

"I'm already three steps ahead" Charlie pressed the comlink on her arm.

"Garth, are you there?" Static buzzed through a couple times, before he replied.

_"This is Garth. What in a wookie's fur is happening up there?"_

"Stormtroopers. I found Dean. We ran into some trouble, but it's alright now. Did you get us a spaceship?"

 _"You bet! I'm already at the rendezvous point. I don't know what you're doing, but you better hurry._ " As if on cue, the sound of an explosion reverberated through the temple.

"Got it. We are on our way" She turned the comlink off, and turned to Dean, taking his right arm and putting it over her shoulder.

"Let's go" She began pulling him down the hallway.

"Not without my brother" He locked his good leg on the floor, making it impossible for her to drag him. The look on her face would have been hilarious any other time.

"Dean, Sam is probably-"

"He's not dead, I can feel it." And he really could. but the aura around Sam was... dark and twisted. He needed to find him soon.

"Okay. Even if he isn't dead, we don't have any idea where he is. We probably won't find him in time" She tried to reason with him.

He knew where she was coming from; _Jedi are not meant to form attachments_. It was one of their most sacred rules for a reason, and the fact he was putting them both in danger proved why. But he couldn't care less.

"I'm not leaving without him" He informed her. That was an empty promise, however, and they both knew it. On his current state, if it came down to it, she could easily overpower him and drag his unconscious body back to the ship. She seemed to be considering just that.

"I had a vision, okay? It told me I need to find him." He pulled his arm back, and leaned against the wall again.

"Go find Garth. Fly off the planet and get help. More than the vision, he's my brother. He's all I got" The last words seemed to get to her, but there was still resistance in her eyes. _As if she was fighting attachments of her own_. In the end, she nodded.

"Fine. Use your comlink to find me when you find Sam." He nodded, relieved. He was about to thank her, but she stopped him.

"Dean, if me and Garth are discovered by the stormtroopers... we're leaving" _She meant it_. Even if he could see she really didn't want to.

"It's okay. Thanks Charlie. For everything" There was a large chance he wasn't going to find Sam in time, and they both knew it.

He smiled at her, but she didn't smile back.

"May the force be with you, Winchester"

"May the force be with you" He replied. She took one long last look at him, and turned, darting down the hallway, and quickly disappearing in the shadows.  
 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Dean walked- no, _limped_ his way deeper into the second floor of the temple, leaving a trail of scrubby blood drops in his wake. Sam was close _. He could feel it_. He just hoped he’d be able to reach him before passing out.

“ _X5-3452 to base. Captain, the upper levels of the temple seem to be clear. There are only a few rooms left to investigate”_ The stormtrooper shifted to the side, illuminating the corridor with the flashlight of their blaster.

A red carpet covered the floor all the way through it, and continued further on, through rest of the temple. The walls, covered by decaying brown and white paint that did nothing to hide how old the place was, were held up by three pairs of columns. Two at both ends of the corridor, and the other two in the middle of it. There appeared to be no doors, which was a relief.

“ _Excellent work, X5-3452. Head down to the first floor when you’re done, and warn others to do the same.”_

_“yes, sir”_

_“If the jedi that attacked our troopers aren’t upstairs, chances are they headed outside, to help others”_ The woman chuckled.

“ _Dumb jedi. Understood, sir. X5-3452, over and out”_ She attached the communicator back on her belt, and gave one long last look to the empty corridor, not missing the warning that lit up on her visor about the darker red spots that only covered a small portion of the carpet halfway through the right side. _Definitely blood._

She ducked her blaster to the side, washing the corridor in complete darkness again. The movement triggered the night view mode of her goggles. She did not move.

 

Dean held his breath, and pushed his back even further against the wall.

 

After what felt like ages, the sound of footsteps walking away reached his ears as they faded down the hall, leaving him into complete silence again.

As the battle outside came to it's final stages, the temple was starting to grow crowded with those soldiers. Sadly, that had nothing to do with the jedi winning and securing the prisoners. Judging by the calm on the “Captain’s” voice, they had practically won. _Which meant…_

Dean didn’t want to assume the worst, but there was no way around it; He had been shot at sight. They were clearly _not_ taking prisoners.

He headed the opposite direction to hers, stopping every time he heard even the smallest of the noises, his heart speeding, as well as his mind.

He thought about Charlie, and the face she made when he asked her how bad things were outside. She had probably seen it all. Jedi after jedi being struck without any remorse, as they tried not to deadly harm the enemy because that was not their way. All of them, her friends and family. And his, too. He thought about Garth next. And Ellen and Jo, Bobby, Sam, _hell,_ everyone. He hoped they had made it. Escaped, once they realized the battle was lost. _Needed_ them to.

He shook his head. _There was no time to think about this_. Sam was in danger.

Focusing back on the present, he realized he was standing right in front of the council. He rubbed his fingers against the door, and his brother's presence intensified. _This was it!  
_

“Oh Sam, you dog” The corner of his lips perked up. The chambers could only be opened through the force. Of course, stormtroopers could and probably _would_ blast their way through eventually, but it was the perfect hiding place.

Looking around to make sure he wasn’t being followed, Dean evened his breath, and the door opened with a soft click.

* * *

 

The moonlight bathed the room through the tall windows of the chamber, giving the place a haunting aspect. The five cushioned chairs, one for each member of the council, remained at the center, untouched. Behind them, book shelves that had been there for as long as he could remember stood tall, alternating themselves with paintings on the walls, and the windows themselves.

It was surreal looking at it all now. Nothing had changed from when he was dragged in a couple hours ago, yet everything was different.

 

The place seemed completely empty, but Dean hadn’t expected any different.

“ _Sam_?” It was barely a whisper, his voice coarse after all the action from earlier. He cleared his throat, and took a tentative step forward.

The red laser shot flew towards him like a lightening, missing his head by an inch. He ducked, smacking his back against the hard floor. Groaning, he forced his eyes to stay focused. _He needed to find where the shot had come from._

 

His vision cleared just in time to see a massive figure drop from the ceiling, right on top of him.

 

Their lightsabers connected and the shadow immediately jumped backwards, as if taken aback by the fact he also had a lightsaber.

“Dean?” Sam asked, not waiting for an answer before running to his side.

“Dammit, little brother. It’s the second time you try to kill me today” He forced himself to sit up.

“Sorry” Sam stretched his hand out to him. Even without meeting his gaze, Dean knew his brother was flashing him his best version of puppy eyes. He rolled his, but took Sam’s hand.

“It’s okay, Castiel. He’s a friend” Sam said, reassuringly, to a point behind Dean. _Castiel?_

 “Come on” Sam grunted, as he single handedly pulled Dean to his feet. His brother hopped a couple times on his good leg, trying to regain balance. It was only then Sam noticed the wound.

“What happened to you?" Sam’s eyes went from his leg to the bandages covering his nose.

“The leg was a shot from a stormtrooper. I’m fine” He added, dismissively. There were more important things to worry about at the moment. _For instance…_

 

Once his good leg felt firm enough beneath him, he turned around.

 

Surely enough, _“the”_ Castiel from earlier was standing there, right behind Luke’s chair, holding a blaster. His sky blue eyes widened when he saw Dean.

“You”

“Yes, me. It must be your lucky day, _Cas_ ” Castiel squinted his eyes at the nickname. Whether he was annoyed or confused by it, Dean didn’t know. _What_ was _the deal with this guy?_

“You two know each other?” Sam perked his eyebrow.

“Yeah. After you ditched me this morning, I ran into him. _Literally.”_ He gestured towards the bandages on his nose.

Cas was still wearing the same _too-big-for-him_ robes from earlier, but now that fact didn’t show as much. In fact, if anything, he looked a bit taller. _Nothing like an adrenaline boost caused by a planetary invasion to solve wardrobe issues.  
_

The blaster he had shot Dean with was nested right below his chest, aim pointed to the side. One of his hands was wrapped around the grip, while the other one went right beneath the barrel. He was holding it so casually you’d think he'd done it a million times. His robe was stained with red marks there, which Dean guessed were from their encounter earlier. His arm seemed to be fine though.

“Where did you get that?” Dean asked, not bothering to hide his suspicion. Cas looked down at the gun.

“A stormtrooper attacked us. Sam knocked him out, but I thought it would be wise not to leave him armed” _Oh._

“Uh. Right. Good job” He scratched the back of his head, ignoring Sam’s judgmental look. Okay, so maybe he _was_ overreacting. But _still_ , meeting him again like this after everything that had just happened? _What were the odds?_

 

The force did work in strange ways.

 

“Now that you’re done interrogating him, can you tell me what you’re doing here?” Sam asked. Dean cast him an incredulous look.

“What do you mean “ _what are you doing here?”_ The temple is under attack!”

“We know. Master Missouri sent us here when it started. Said we needed to protect the most valuable thing in the temple” _That explained why they were together and ready to attack, like a couple of bounty hunters._

“Well, did she tell you what it was?” Sam shook his head negatively. Cas didn’t disagree.

“Awesome” _Trust Missouri to pull some mysterious bullshit._

Annoyed, he limped towards the open window. The forest stretched itself outside beyond sight, making it impossible for him to see anything from the battle he knew was happening below. Aside from an occasional blaster shot in the distance, everything was quiet. Two star destroyers stood tall above them, their decks only barely illuminated by the moonlight, painting the night sky black. _Whatever Missouri's game was, they didn’t have the time to play it._

“How bad is it?” Sam asked, joining him by the window. All the blood washed out from his face once he saw the destroyers.

“Bad. We have to go. _Now_.” Dean tapped him softly in the shoulder, and started limping his way back to the door. Cas had not moved an inch.

“You coming?” He met Dean's eyes, holding eye contact for far longer than necessary, before nodding.

“Yes”

“We can’t just leave whatever it is here for them to find it!” Sam protested, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Dean sighed.

“Sam-“

“Your brother is right.” Castiel cut in. “We won’t protect anything if we are dead” It didn't take long before Sam’s eyes softened, and he clenched his jaw. Whatever that intense gaze thing was, it seemed to work on everyone. 

“Fine”

“We’ll come back for it later” Dean offered. He knew there was way more to it than just Missouri’s orders. Unlike him, the life in the temple was all Sam knew.

Sam nodded at his words, and smiled. Dean returned it. They both knew coming back ever again was unlikely.

“What’s the plan?”

“Charlie and Garth are waiting for us with a ship somewhere in the woods. She told me to contact her as soon as I found you”

“Alright. Let’s do it” Sam said, pressing the commlink on his arm.

 

“Charlie? Can you hear me? This is Sam” The radio buzzed a couple times, before static took over.

 

He tried again.

 

“Charlie, can you hear me?” _Still, nothing_. He turned back to Dean, eyes filled with concern.

 

“They probably left. She told me they would, and it took me awhile to find you” Dean decided, because he sure as hell could not stomach the alternative right now.

“Then what will we do?” Cas asked, the worry on his voice making him slightly less intimidating. Dean grinned.

“Baby”

* * *

 

The walk down to the hangar was slow and excruciating. As the battle faded away, the entire temple became infested not only by stormtroopers, but also other by members of the imperial army, making it impossible for them to fight their way through. That settled, the air vents were their only way out.

But the ancient system was dusty, and creaked beneath them as they progressed, as if ready to give in at any second. Crawling through the metal tunnels with a banged up leg was also not doing Dean any favors. He tried not to think about all the germs that were currently making their way into his body right now.

“Are you sure this is the right way?” Cas’ low tone echoed behind Dean, for what was the 10th time that day. He was beginning to sound annoyed. He couldn’t blame him. They were stumbling blindly around in the darkness for at least half an hour now.

“Yeah. We’re almost there” There was a lot of confidence on Sam’s voice this time. _Good_. Dean wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be able to fight the dots swimming around his vision. _But hey_ , _at least his leg had stopped bleeding._

“How come?” He had no idea how his brother could shrug while crawling on all fours through the small space, but he did.

“Because it’s the only way we didn’t try?” The look on Dean’s and Cas’ face made him crawl faster.

 

After ten more minutes of turning to the right, left, going up and even sliding down, Sam stopped.

 

“This is it” He moved further, revealing an exit where he had been before. A bright red light was coming through the small gaps in it. _Sam was right._ They were in the right place.

The hangar was one of the only places in the entire building that had auxiliary power. Luke did it so that in case the temple got compromised, as many knights as possible would be able to escape. Once the auxiliary power was active, the lights would return not in their original color, but on a flashing red tone, that indicated there was something terribly wrong happening, and it was time to leave.

“Finally” Using the force, Dean pulled the hatch up, and laid it as gently as he could before Sam. He peeked down.

They had to be at least twenty meters from the floor. It was a fatal drop to most, and he was no exception to it, in his current state. Luckily, there was a ship right next to the hatch, parked only a few feet away.

Right below them, a group of around ten stormtroopers marched, matching their pace to the flicker of the light. They disappeared completely after 30 seconds, and returned around two minutes later, headed to the opposite direction.

Dean stuck his head out further through the hole once they disappeared again, this time looking for the gate. Luckily, the door shields were off. He could see a few walkers outside, and the legs of an AT-AT. _They really meant business with this invasion_. Last, he tilted his head to the side, spotting part of one of baby’s wings four ships away, really close to the entrance.

He pulled back up, allowing Sam to look down, and then Cas.

“It’s…” Sam didn’t know where to start.

“I know” he agreed.

‘“We will never make it through that squadron if we climb down there” That did not erase the fact Cas’ face was inches from his, the rest of his body pressed against the opposite wall to the one Dean was leaned on. Cas' left arm softly rubbed against his stomach every time he took a breath. The only reason didn't jolt forward was the fact he would fall right in the middle of said squadron if he did. 

“Dude, _one_ : Personal space” Cas locked his eyes on Dean’s, and Dean prayed neither he nor Sam could see the warmth on his cheeks.

“My apologies” The jedi forced his legs backwards slightly. It was not nearly enough, and though the embarrassment would never catch up with Dean, at least the tips of their noses were no longer about to touch. He collected his thoughts again.

“And _two_ , we’re not going down”

“What are you thinking?” Sam asked. _  
_

Dean peeked down again. The stormtroopers were right beneath them. He mentally counted to thirty, and the last of them disappeared from his sight. He leaned back up.

“Follow my lead” This time, Dean put his legs through the gap first, and pushed forward, so that he was hanging solely from his arms. His injured leg felt numb beneath him, after all the crawling. He knew there would be no going back up.

He gazed down at the ship. It was only around five meters below. All he had to do was swing his legs a couple times.

Taking a deep breath, he started.

_One._

 

_Two._

 

_Three._

 

He jumped.

* * *

 

Dean’s landing wasn’t as soft as he expected it to be. It wasn’t soft _at all_ , in fact, as he rolled over on the cool surface of the roof of the ship. Sam landed with a soft bang behind him shortly after.

“Are you alright?” Sam whispered, suddenly really self-aware. He crouched down next to Dean.

“Yeah. Peachy.” His brother rolled over to his stomach, wincing as the cool metal touched his wound. His thigh wasn’t hurting anymore, but it was at least twice as big as it should be. Sam noticed it too.

“Dean- “

"Sam, focus. Where are the stormtroopers?” His words were final. Sam knew he had a point. There was nothing that could be done right now.

Backing down from the argument, Sam crawled to the front of the ship, being careful not to be seen as he looked down; The soldiers had reached the wall, and were starting to make their way back.

“Crap. Cas needs to hurry” They both turned their heads towards the hatch. From that angle, they couldn’t see him. Seconds dragged over themselves and still, he did not move.

 

The sound of boots hitting against the concrete floor of the hangar indicated they had almost reached the ship now.

 

“What’s taking him so long?”

“I don’t know” Dean glanced to the left wing of the ship. The leader of the squadron had reached it now.

“Come on, Cas. Come on” He murmured to himself, his eyes glued to the hatch. At last, Cas’ feet were dangling from it.

He swung back and forth twice, clearly putting a lot of energy into it. Meanwhile, most of the patrol group had already contoured the front of the ship. If any of them dared to look to the shaking form in the corner of their eyes, they would definitely see him, and begin to shoot.

Cas let go of the edges of the vent just as the last of them passed below the hatch. He landed on the very edge of the wing, stretching his arms out to regain balance.

“Finally” Dean mumbled, as Cas snuck his way closer to them. He sat next to Sam once he reached them, stretching out his legs and inhaling deeply.

“Which one is yours?” Dean tilted his head to the right.

“That one” The pride was clear on his voice. Cas followed the direction. He could not believe his eyes.

It was four ships away, but it was impossible to miss; The fighter- _Or at least, what it used to be_ , was clearly an Y-1A. But it had been completely modified; The ship had been coated by a black coat of paint, which would make it practically invisible in space, wasn’t it for the silver highlights by the cabin and wings.

The engines, which were meant to be completely exposed, were completely sealed off from the world by metal plates,which were also all covered in that same black paint. They projected themselves both behind the cabin and on the turbines, giving the ship far more protection against shots, should it engage in a battle. As if that wasn’t enough, the pilot’s cabin had also been modified, and it stretched itself over the tail engines, which made it much larger than the original.

“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” Dean asked, clearly excited Cas seemed to be approving of his invention.

“Yes, she is”

“Guys” Sam called, and got up, minding his surroundings. Dean and Cas didn't need to be told twice.

The three of them headed back to the wing Cas had landed on, only a couple minutes ago. Double checking to see if it was clear, Sam jumped onto the wing of the next ship, Dean and Cas following shortly after. Soon enough, all three of them were on top of baby.

“Hey sweetheart” Dean hummed affectionately, petting the side of the cabin. His fingers rubbed against a button.

“Wait” Cas said, harshly, but still keeping his voice low. “ We have to distract them first, or we will be spotted” He was right. From here, at the edge of the hangar, they could easily see what was happening outside; At least a dozen of walkers were scattered all the way through the courtyard, clanking as they marched back and forth, as their pilots pleased.

Two other battalions were covering the area as well, the flashlight on their blasters being the only part of them that could be seen, despite the flashing red light. Any mistake would cost them their lives.

Heading to the front end of the ship, Cas looked down.

The troopers were beginning to head back to the bottom of the hangar. They marched in perfect synchrony, just as it had been ingrained in them from all the years of training. It was why he did not miss it when one of them tripped, even if he regained balance seconds later, and sharply returned to position. To their luck, their leader did not notice it, however, and they kept on marching.

 Once they were gone, Cas’ eyes fell on what had caused it; a medium sized wooden box.

“There” Following the direction of Cas’ hand, Sam stretched his arms out. With a swift movement, the now levitating box launched itself upwards between the ships, and fell, smashing to pieces on the opposite end of the room.

“Over there, troopers!” The leader shouted, running towards the source of the noise.  The rest of them promptly followed.

“Now!” Cas shouted, not bothering to keep his voice low. The lid of the cabin flew open, and all three of them hopped inside at once.

“Pull it back” Dean ordered. Cas was more than happy to oblige.

The cover sealed shut with a soft click, and the ship came to life beneath them instantly. If “baby” looked impressive from the outside, it was even more so on the inside.

The part of the room that stretched itself on top of the engines was separated from the main cabin by a door. Still, what should be a small cabin for one pilot could now fit two, and there was still enough space for him to stand behind Sam and Dean, as they crazily pressed buttons on the cockpit.

“Activate the shields, we don’t want blasters and god knows what else to blow up our turbines”

“Done”

“Releasing landing gears”

“Activating propellers”

“Starting countdown for light speed” Sam flipped a small lever, and tightened his grip on the controller.

“Prepare for takeoff”

The grown of the engine hit their ears like a thunder and the ship flung forward, followed by a wave of red laser shots, that only increased, as reinforcements arrived every minute.  But they were not fast enough, and the ship was quickly out of range. Shortly after, they were replaced by poison green lasers.

“Be ready to jam the tractor beam from those destroyers” Dean coached, as he danced around in the sky, managing to avoid the shots from the tie fighters that were now on their tail.

“Got it” Dean pulled the toggler upwards and they flew even higher, almost breaching the atmosphere.

It was then their ship jolted, practically coming to a stop midair. Cas flew forward with the movement, landing on his knees.

“Now, Sam!” Dean howled, and Sam slammed his hand on a green button. A second later, they were free.

Dean pulled a lever and the motors howled impossibly louder, as the ship flew upwards even faster.

“Wooo! Are you having fun back there, Cas?”

But there was no time to answer, as they breached the atmosphere, and were engulfed by the darkness of space.  A second later, Sam flipped a red switch.

Everything slowed down then, and then moved impossibly faster at once. The horizon melted entirely in a ray of blue as they disappeared altogether amongst the stars.

* * *

 

Dean inhaled deeply. _Finally. They were safe._ He closed his eyes, allowing his head to lean back against the chair. That was, until his leg cramped, reminding me there were still things to deal with.

“Son of a bitch” He winced as his fingers brushed against his thigh, the touch sending sparks in every direction on his lower body.

“You need some medical assistance” Cas pointed out.

“No shit” He pushed himself to his feet, but now that the adrenaline had begun to wash off, walking was almost impossible. Sam and Cas were both on him the second he fell, preventing him from face-planting on the ground.

“Take it easy.” Sam comforted him, as he and Cas pulled him back to his feet.

“ ‘m fine. R5 has some supplies in the back” He tried to shove both of them off, but ended up falling back against Sam. This time, when his brother tightened his grip on him. Dean did not protest.

“ _We_ ’ll go get R5. _Together_.” Sam declared. Dean nodded, defeated, but kept his gaze down.

Satisfied with his brother’s surrender, Sam looked back to Cas.

“Hey. Can you keep an eye on the panel for me? This shouldn’t take long.” The other nodded. It was good enough for Sam.

“Hey, if you hurt my baby, I will kill you” Dean growled, not sounding half as menacing as he intended to.

“yeah, alright. Let’s go” Sam flashed Cas an apologetic smile, before heading for the door. It slid open, and he dragged Dean inside, heading somewhere on back of the ship. The door slid shut behind them.

 

* * *

 

At first, Cas didn’t move.

After a few minutes passed without Sam or Dean returning, he silently made his way to the front of the ship, and sat down on Dean’s chair. Everything in the cockpit and panels seemed to be in perfect order.

In front of him, space bent over itself right outside the window, repeatedly alternating between several shades of blue. _It looked peaceful_ , he thought. The kind of view someone could fall asleep to.

He pulled the robe off, casually dropping it to the floor behind him. The white tunic he had stolen was comforting, as it reassembled his uniform. He reached for the black belt that kept his clothes in place, and tapped the buckle softly. Inside it, a small circular communicator was revealed. He pressed it.

“This is CS-4482. I have them”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry guys. Life was (and still is) too crazy to get any sort of writing done. But I have decided to organize myself and will try to update at least monthly. This one is extra long for you guys. Thank you for reading!

 Chapter 5

 

The adjacent room of Dean’s ship wasn’t quite as elaborate as the pilot cabin but considering it shouldn’t even exist in the first place, it wasn’t any less impressive; Supply boxes were scattered in the back, neatly placed over each other. Coming off from the right wall was a cot that, he realized, looked exactly like his own back at the First Order’s cruiser. A second mattress laid beneath it, on the floor. _Sam’s_ , Cas guessed. Finally, a holocommunicator projected itself in the center of the room. Dean had just used it to send a distress signal to any jedi ships that might be out there, as well as Coruscant, core planet of the Republic.  Either had yet to reply, though.

 

“That should do it” Dean declared, arms folded behind his head as he laid on the bed. A red R5 unit worked on his leg, replacing the bandages and applying another layer of bacta to the wound. Cas nodded, absently. 

 

“Yes. Any Jedi that accesses their ship’s holocom should be safe now. And the Chancellor is now aware of the possible threat of an invasion”

 

“Yeah maybe.” Dean replied. He wasn’t too sure Coruscant was still safe, but checking it out was not an option. In the past, the empire had used the planet as a trap to any jedi that survived order 66. He would not make that same mistake.

 

Still, after a broken nose, getting shot in the leg _and_ being kicked out from home by a supposedly dead organization, it was good to have a win. He had no idea how many Jedi still remained. Some of them were doing missions off world when it happened, and he knew at least one of them: Jo.

 

He thanked the force she was really far away from all this, in the outer rim. Or at least, he hoped as much. Stranded on a ship in the middle of nowhere, he had no idea of what the damage was, if any other planets had been taken over, or if his friends had survived. Well, not _all_ of them.

 

He could still sense Bobby through their master- padawan link, but the force around him was… clouded. He didn’t know what it meant exactly, but it couldn’t be good. And it wasn’t like he could just ask;

 

 Sure, they were currently travelling through lightspeed and couldn’t be tracked ( _which was why he had taken the opportunity to send the signals_ ), but he there was no way to be sure that that was the case for whoever he chose to contact. The last thing they needed was to flung any other jedi into a trap. _There had been enough deaths for the day_. He would just have to trust Jo’s skills were enough, and that Bobby would be okay.

 

R5 wrapped the last two ties of the bandage around his leg and slid back, as if admiring his work. Dean was really grateful he added emergency aid protocols to the droid’s memory core when he did. 

 

“Thanks buddy. Go check up on Sam for me, okay?” The astromech would have nodded if it could. It turned promptly and bolted for the door, making Cas jerk back as to keep his toes.

 

“R5!” Dean cursed, but was ignored as the door slid shut behind the droid. He rolled his eyes, and turned to Cas.

 

“Sorry about that. He doesn’t really like strangers”

 

“I can see that” The other replied, leaning back against the wall near the door, arms behind his back in a respectful manner. The spitting image of a jedi knight. Dean still hadn’t been able to sense his force signature on a level that would indicate Cas was force sensitive. But that didn’t mean much either. Jedi were supposed to be able to hide their abilities from everyone else. It was one of the first skills he had learned at the temple. But still, it all seemed… _too perfect_. Yes, he helped them to escape, but Dean still wasn’t entirely sure the fact Cas showed up right before the invasion didn’t mean anything.

 

“Are you gonna stand there all day?” Dean sat up, carefully lowering his freshly bandaged leg to the cool metal floor. He shivered. Cas seemed to take the hint.

 

“How’s your leg?” The dark-haired man asked, soon as he lowered himself to sit next to Dean. He instinctively ran his hand through the bandages in response. Doing so still hurt, but at least the swelling had died down.

 

“Better. Thanks for asking” Cas gave a short nod and averted his gaze forward. What he was looking at, Dean did not know.

 

“Busy first days, huh?” He commented, casually breaking the silence again.

 

Dean still couldn’t believe what had happened. Twenty-one years living in that temple, and no one had ever attempted to break into it, let alone a full planetary invasion. But what was worse, he had no idea how the thousands of Jedi living there could have missed _it_. The way force tensed up, tightening itself against every life form, threatening to suffocate them. And of course, the persistent, cold sensation on the pit of his stomach. He had only felt like that once before in his life. Cas smiled. 

 

“Putting it mildly, yes” _Was that sarcasm?_

 

“I don’t suppose you had much of that back at your home planet, then?” The other shrugged. 

 

“I don’t know. My family enjoyed wandering. We were always headed for the next planet, or moon or station. I have no memories of where I was born, nor have I stayed in one planet long enough to call it home” Dean’s eyes widened.

 

“I’m sorry”

 

“It’s okay. And answering your question, we did have action. Sometimes.” He smiled sympathetically at Dean, who smiled back, unable to help the empathy rising in his chest.

 

For the first few months after their mom died, dad was always on the move. His memories of that time were messy. Planets, people, buildings, all so different and unique. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like if he had spent his entire life roaming around like that, instead of being sent to Tython. It suddenly made sense that Cas knew how to handle a gun, and even acted a bit weird. 

 

“Well, at least someone found you and gave you a place to call home, right?” It was obvious he had received some jedi training before going to Tython. Regardless of the missions he and his Master, whoever it was, had gone to, they definitely had a home base planet. Even if shortly. His heart ached when his mind took him back to Bobby.

 

The smile vanished from Cas’ face. 

 

“Right” he replied, on a serious tone, mind elsewhere. The question got stuck on Dean’s throat as the door slid open and Sam walked right in.

 

“Hey. Thought you guys might be hungry” he tossed two ration bars their way, each falling on their respective laps. Dean picked his up, shifting the green/orange package so he could read the label. He winced. 

 

“ _Naboo’s veggies._ ” _Really,_ Sam? _Really_?” Sam shrugged.

 

“They’re delicious” Noticing there was no space on the bed, he used the force to pull his mattress from under it, carefully dodging their legs. He placed it neatly in front of Dean and Cas, and sat down. 

 

“It’s rabbit food. We are _Jedi_ , force’s sake. We can’t survive on this. Tell him, Cas” Both Winchesters turned their attention back to the other jedi. He had unwrapped his own ration bar and was staring at it tentatively. Finally, he took a bite. 

 

“It tastes good” 

 

“Thank you, Cas” Sam sneered, unable to help the dimples that formed on his cheeks at Dean’s offended face. Cas frowned. 

 

“Whatever. What are you doing back here anyway? You’re supposed to be flying the ship” 

 

“Well for one, R5 refused to come back here to give you these after you quote: _“yelled at him_ ”.” Dean and Cas exchanged glances. 

 

“And two, I needed to show you this.” Sam got up and reached for the holocom, pressing a couple buttons on its side. A few seconds later, a map of the whole mapped galaxy expanded itself through the room. He slowly walked through it, before finally finding what he was looking for. 

 

“The random coordinates we set up in a hurry to escape Tython are taking us to one of Belsavis’ moons. Here” he pointed to a small planet on the left side of the map. Unlike the others, it glowed in a red color, indicating their hyperspace destination. “We should be getting there in a few parsecs” 

 

“Awesome. What’s the catch?”

 

“The moon is completely frozen, and has been that way for thousands of years, which means the temperatures that are too low for us to survive.” Dean nodded. 

 

“Okay, so we change course”

 

“Right, but we have been flying on light speed for hours and that kinda burned our fuel supply” Sam said, as calmly as he could, but there was still a certain urgency to his voice. Worry finally covered Dean’s features. 

 

“How much do we still have?”

 

“30%. And dropping” _Son of a bitch._  

 

 “Okay, so the moon is a bad idea. What about Belsavis itself?” 

 

“That is not a good idea either” Cas intervened, causing the other two to turn their heads his way.

 

“Belsavis was a Republic prison world. It was abandoned centuries ago, but the prisoners were not relocated. Their children and grandchildren are still stranded in the planet. To land there with a spaceship would already be extremely dangerous, but to have three Jedi piloting it would be suicide.”

 

“Well, it beats floating around in space with no fuel. So unless you have a better idea...?” Cas’ blue eyes sparkled at the challenge. His eyes fell back on the map in front of him. He stood up, carefully analyzing their trajectory. After a few seconds, he pointed at a much larger planet, only a few parsecs away. 

 

“There” he said, confidently. 

 

“ _Tatooine?_ Are you sure?” Sam asked, taking worried glances at his brother. 

 

“Yes, I am. It is close enough to Belsavis for us to reach on low fuel, and the fact it is controlled by the Hutt Cartel will protect us from stormtroopers.

 

“Yeah, or throw us right into their hands” Sam crossed his arms over his chest, unconvinced. 

 

“It is a possibility.” Cas agreed. “The lack of law enforcement allows citizens to make deals with whoever they want, and that includes the empire.” Both him and Sam’s gazes fell on Dean simultaneously, as if asking him to settle it.

 

Dean closed his eyes. The sensation on his stomach only worsened as he thought about Tattoine, but he wasn’t surprised. The entire planet had a dark aura around it, built after hundreds of years of endless pain, torture and slavery. Which was exactly what made it the perfect hiding spot, at least until they could figure out their next step.

 

“We’ll do what Cas says. It’s risky, but it’s a risk we have to take”

 

* * *

 

 

The coarse sands of the desert stretched themselves beyond sight, the bright yellowish tone under a completely clear sky burning into their retinae. Luckily, it did not take long for R5 to find the spaceport.

 

The building appeared to rise from the sands right in the center of the small town. It didn’t seem to be really tall, but it was large, stretching itself through several blocks, following the streets on both sides. Like the rest of them, its color was only slightly darker than the sand itself. Baby descended smoothly into one of the empty parking chambers, touching the ground with a soft thud.

 

“Alright, we’re here.” Dean announced to Sam and Cas, moving away from his front seat to allow them to look around.

 

There wasn’t much to see though; The stained walls bent themselves backwards a few meters above them, creating a second floor, which was surrounded by a metal fence ( _probably to keep drunk workers from falling down_ ). There was no roof, but the sun didn’t seem to be able to reach the inside of the building properly, what made the place considerably darker than the outside. As a result, around the ship stood single eyeball shaped lights that projected themselves from the floor, giving them better visibility of the place. Last, there were a couple of gates at different points of the wall, but only one of them was open, and it seemed to lead to a secondary chamber. There was no one in sight.

 

“Great.” Sam commented.  “Now all we need is to find some fuel and supplies so that we can leave” He did not take his eyes off the gate as he said it, as if expecting someone to crash through the door and attack them. Dean did not blame him. The force still stretched itself painfully against them, in a clear warning of danger. It wasn’t immediate danger though. Just a reminder to be careful.

“It would also be wise to visit one of the cantinas. We might be able to get some information about the attack on the temple there.” Cas added, casually.

“Okay. It’s settled then. But before we go…” Dean detached his lightsaber from his belt. “We need to hide these. R5!” As if on cue, the droid slid in the already crowded space. Cas had no idea how, but he could swear the robot looked anxious.

“I need you to hold onto this for me, okay?” He kneeled by the droid and stretched his hand out. A small metal hand came from one of it’s chest compartments, and took the lightsaber, disappearing just as quickly with it. Dean turned his head.

“Who’s next?” _Oh, right._ Remembering he was also supposed to have a lightsaber, Cas mimicked Dean, and reached for his waist. Surely enough, his hand reached cool metal of the lightsaber he had been handed back at the cruiser.

He detached it, holding it up with curiosity. He hadn’t actually seen the weapon before this, as there had been no time. It was completely black, with a few silver engravings decorating it. There was a golden switch towards the back, at the bottom. It was beautiful. He noticed Dean and Sam were also staring at it. Hoping they had not recognized the weapon by chance, he handed it over to Dean. Sam followed, reluctantly.

R5 closed the compartment and disappeared into the back room.

“Awesome. Now, about our disguises…”

* * *

 

The town was actually quite simple seen from the surface. The houses and other buildings were all relatively small and short, carved out of rocks that had been clearly abused by time and sand and piled up against each other as a result. Some were square shaped with round roofs. Others the exact opposite, giving the sight a weird look. Outside almost every single one of them stood tall metal machines, all too covered in sand to shine under the sun, but still irradiating a mix of heat and moisture.

 It was probably noon, as the streets soon begun to become crowded with all kinds of people, all of them dressed in cloaks or light-colored tunics as to protect themselves from the unforgiving sun rays. They walked around, some chatting, others looking to buy things from the shops that were also scattered all around beyond sight.

Vendors stood inside of them, screaming impossible offers at the top of their lungs, trying to steal each other’s clients.  Others passed by with their land speeders, carelessly driving in between the pedestrians, and eventually knocking down a trashcan or two.

The ruckus was perfect for the three jedi to mingle in and plain sight, though they had already swapped their unmistakable robes and cloaks for something more local. As they walked around buying the supplies they needed, the three of them watched as a few of jabba’s Gamorrean guards calmly patrolled the streets.

Sam mentally considered going to Jabba for help, but soon discarded the idea. A mercenary like him would definitely double cross them if their enemies offered a fair amount of credits. Certainly a lot more than they could offer.

Speaking of them, there had been no stormtroopers in sight all day. It was as if nothing had changed in the galaxy at all after the jedi order was wiped out. With the way the dark side clearly clung to this place like a sickness, surely there would be some celebration of some sort? Or had the Hutts already made a deal with whoever was in charge of the empire to leave the outter rim planets alone? He had no idea, and the lack of information was actually bothering him a lot.

 He reached for his lightsaber out of habit, looking for some comfort, only to find that it wasn’t there. The belt of his new sandish colored tunic did not allow space for any weapons, and even if it did, his sword was safely hidden back at the ship. He clenched his fists in frustration.

As soon as Dean’s wounded leg allowed, they were able to buy everything they needed, and still had a few credits left to spare. They would have to make more for the next supply run, though.

“Okay, that was the last of it.” Dean sighed in relief, handing Sam yet another bag of food. He didn’t need to speak for Dean to know he agreed. The three of them resumed their slow walk back to the spaceport, at least until Dean laid his eyes on an empty side street. Nudging Cas’ arm, and allowing his brother to sense his intentions, the three of them split from the crowd, casually making a turn to the left.

“This place is great” he said, once they had distanced themselves enough from the other people. “I think we blended in pretty well, and I didn’t see any bucket heads” Sam and Cas both rolled his eyes at the nickname.

“Yeah me neither.” Sam agreed. “Maybe the Hutts took care of it?”

“Or maybe they didn’t arrive here yet” Cas retorted. Sam was actually starting to get really tired of his attitude.             

 “Either way, it might be a while until we are this lucky again.” Dean intervened. The brothers shared understanding glances. Cas frowned.

 “What do you want to do?”

“Follow your plan. Find a Cantina and try to know more about what is going on. We need to wait until the ship’s fuel tank is filled anyway.” Comprehension dawned on Cas’ features.

“Very well. While you two go to the cantina, I will head back to the ship and make sure we get the fuel we paid for” He said, taking the few bags Dean carried from his arms.

“Okay” Dean agreed almost instantly, pleased to have the extra weight removed from his hands. Sam eyed his brother curiously as he handed Cas the keys without any warning or threat. He handed Cas the remaining supplies. The shorter man was clearly struggling, but Sam did not feel very sympathetic at the moment.

“Good luck” He said, clearly aiming it at Dean. His brother stared back for a few seconds before the other man took off, slowly making his way out to the crowded streets and disappearing from sight.

“What was that about?” Sam asked, perking an eyebrow. Dean shrugged.

“I have no idea what you mean. Come on. Let’s go find a cantina, and fast. Can’t wait to get out of the heat” He elbowed his brother’s chest softly, before starting to limp his way back to the main road. The answer did nothing to soothe Sam’s confusion, and he knew it.

* * *

 

It didn’t take them too long to find the cantina. The smell of clotted blood, alcohol and gun powder was clear even from a block away. The sensation of cold at the pit of their stomachs made itself blatantly clear to them as soon as they crossed the door, and the force stretched itself painfully wider, to the point it seemed like it would rip in two at any second.

 The dark side emanated from the bar in waves, which was no less than expected from a place where all the scoundrels of the galaxy gathered together to find their next job. It served as another reminder to be extra careful, and Sam and Dean were more than happy to oblige.

Checking the holster of his leg to make sure the blaster they had purchased from a desperate Rodian who all but gave them the weapon for free was still there, Sam followed Dean inside the cantina, making sure to wrap his force signature tightly around himself.

 

The first thing he noticed was that the place was a lot darker than the outside. A few weak table lamps laid on top of the round concrete tables that were scattered all around the room, as well as the several adjacent ones, kept apart from each other by large arched doorways. In the center of it all, a massive light source illuminated a bar, where a human man mixed drinks and passed them around skillfully to the aliens sitting on the stools. Most of them already quite drunk.

Loud music blared to his right, and he turned instinctively to it, only to find a a small set up stage on top of a three step stairway that lead to what was probably meant to be the second floor of the cantina. Five or six Bith stood on it, all dressed in black and blowing at their instruments excitedly.  He glared at them for scaring him, though they didn’t seem to even notice.

Dean and he walked deeper inside the cantina, feeling curious eyes on them as they moved. Unable to help himself, he pulled at the force slightly, just barely enough to sense their emotions as he walked, avoiding eye contact. Some were simply confused, others didn’t care much and others were actually considering to see if they could get away with robbing them. Sam stared back at one of those, a male Zabrak-human mix who quickly realized he had been caught, and wandered off, out of sight.

“Here.” Dean gestured to a table by the wall, which had four cushioned seats, two on each side of it. He chose the one nearest the wall and quickly propped his leg up, relief crossing his face almost instantly at the sensation of being off it again. Sam couldn’t help the wave of anger that washed over him. Dean didn’t deserve this.

Sam had been too young when their mom was killed but he knew Dean remembered it. He still had nightmares sometimes. And then John, their own dad, and only parent they had dropped them off and left, never even bothering to look back. That had also wounded Dean a lot more than it had him. But there was still hope. Being part of the jedi order gave them a family, friends. Soon his brother was happy again, and Sam with it. They would never be abandoned again. He had been so sure of that…But now, it was all gone. All their friends, family and their home… gone. Brutally murdered in their sleep.

 And now here they were, forced to run and hide for their lives on a cantina filled with assassins who would jump at the idea of killing a jedi for credits if they thought it was worth the effort. And they wouldn’t be able to run. Not with Dean’s wounded leg. Or defend themselves properly, as they couldn’t even keep their lightsabers in fear _. It wasn’t fair. Or right. They didn’t deserve this_. But it wasn’t going to stay like that. He was going to find whoever was responsible for it and make sure of it.

He must have lost control of his mental shields because Dean pulled at his arm, a look of disapproval on his face.

He quickly got his emotions back on check, and the walls back up, carefully filtering what his brother could sense. Dean didn’t understand. Even after everything he lost and how many times he had been hurt by the people he loved or otherwise, revenge didn’t cross his mind. And if it ever had, then he simply meditated on it until he was in control of his emotions again. Just as he was raised to do. Sam knew that much. The fact they were Master and Padawan and more than that, brothers, made them share a unique connection. They knew each other better than anyone else, and Sam knew that his brother was a true jedi knight.

What only made everything that had happened to him even worse. It was okay though. He didn’t need to know what Sam’s intentions were.

He would just have to avenge them both.

No longer feeling the burning anger and hatred coming from his brother, Dean slowly let go of Sam’s arm, the look of warning still on his face. Sam’s force signature had practically flooded the room in his anger, and if there were any force sensitive beings at all in this bar, they were now aware of his presence. Dean had no idea what caused the rage outburst, but they were completely exposed now. Intel be damned, it was time to go. He waited until Sam’s anger had vanished completely before letting go of his arm. They needed to talk about this. But first, they needed to get out of here.

He never had the time to do anything, though, because seconds later a woman made herself at home on their table, sitting right next to Sam.

“Hello boys. How can I help you?”

* * *

 

The woman was short. But that wasn’t saying much, considering he was the tallest human he knew and had very little idea of how normal sized humans should look like. She had pale skin, dark hair, and piercing brown eyes that sparkled provocatively once they met his. She was beautiful.

“Actually, sweetheart, we were just about to leave, so…” Dean started, motioning to get up.

“Wait. Let’s see what she has to say” Sam said, ignoring the utter shock on Dean’s features.

“Why do you think you can help us?” She smiled at him, clearly appreciating the chance to prove herself.

“Well, you two don’t look like you are bounty hunters” She eyed his clothes up and down, as if to make a point. “Which means that you aren’t here looking for a job, but to hire someone. Lucky for you, I am available” She shrugged. Sam was stunned for a second. To have a human woman walk all alone into a bar filled with the worst people in the galaxy and sit down with two strangers, then act as if they needed her more than she needed them took real courage.

He glanced back at his brother, who shook his head slightly, advising Sam against it. Why though? This was what they wanted, wasn’t it? Why they had come here in the first place. And besides, anyone this brave deserved to be heard.

Deciding against his brother’s judgement, he opened his mouth.

“We’re looking for information.” That seemed to perk her up.

“What kind of information?” Her eyes sparkled once more in curiosity.

To say Dean was angry would be an understatement. He was sending waves of complete distress to his brother at this point through their master-padawan link, but Sam simply blocked them out.

“You wouldn’t happen to know anything about the empire, would you?” She frowned.

“The empire ended before you and I were even born. I can’t help you with that.” Sam’s own excitement sunk at that, but he could practically feel Dean’s relief.

“…But I may know about a growing military organization.”

“Really?” This time it was Dean who spoke up, sounding skeptical. She turned to face him, the warmth on her face almost entirely gone.

“Yep. They call themselves “The First Order”” The last words were barely a whisper. She glanced around, looking for someone that might have heard it. Deciding it was safe, she settled down.

“What else?” Dean asked, interested for the first time in her words. Sam was thankful for that.

She smiled as if he had said the funniest thing in the world, but did not reply.

“Is this all a game to you? A way to get in his pants?” Dean snapped, his anger visible in more than just the force now.

“I mean, that would be _awesome_ ” She highlighted the last words and winked at Sam. Redness spread all over his cheeks. “But actually, if you want to know more, you need to pay for it” _Oh, she was good._

Dramatically rolling his eyes, but remembering that she was a bounty hunter in the first place, Dean reached into the side pockets of his pants and pulled out a handful of credits. It was all they had left. He stretched his arm out to her, and then dropped it all on the table, as a blaster shot rang through the room, missing his head by an inch.

The three of them ducked to the floor as the place erupted in laser shots flying chaotically through the air. Trying to make sense of the confusion, Dean perked up from behind the table. He felt the adrenaline course through his body instantly.

_Stormtroopers._


End file.
